A Sinner's Retribution
by Persistence
Summary: One persistent problem that won't go away is finally taken care of, however, Aizen found that the closer he was to the problem, the more it affected him. Yaoi!Aizen/Ichigo
1. Love

This is just to relieve some stress before I blow up because of this stupid test coming next week. The lowest score I can apparently get is an 80 and that is still looked down upon, so I need a 90 or above. And there is math on this stupid test, I hate math! Sorry, I shut up now ^^

**Warnings**: Yaoi (Male/Male), also contains sexual situations and violence that may not be appropriate for younger viewers.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the lovely characters from Bleach nor am I making a profit off of this writing this.

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Sosuke Aizen looked over the vast desert of Hueco Mundo. Footsteps approached behind him on the balcony and stopped a few feet away. He didn't have to turn around to know it was Ulquiorra, he could feel the espada's reiatsu heading his way since he left the monitor room.

"Aizen-sama, the humans and shinigami are crossing the desert, again." The espada informed him, which didn't surprise him. For the last six months they had tried several rescue attempts that all ended in failure. Before he had thought of just ridding himself of the problem and eliminating them, but things had changed.

"Send them back." The lord ordered. He knew eventually he would have to place a barrier around Hueco Mundo to prevent them from entering. As long as Urahara was alive, they would always have a way to get in and would never give up. It was useless and they were only wasting their time if they believe they could take what was his.

"Of course, Aizen-sama." Ulquiorra bowed before leaving him alone and finally Aizen turned around to walk out the door the espada had used.

Things had certainly changed since he first arrived in Las Noches. His plans were going smoothly as he predicted and knew that the shinigami would be at a disadvantage when the time came to face them. Even if they defeated all of his espada, they wouldn't stand a chance against him or Gin. They had completed their army, but something was still off. After all the years of planning he did not leave variables that could be used against him alone. The Ryoka boy was a variable he was unsure of and he did not work this hard to fail because he ignored one boy. After all, the boy did obtained Bankai and defeated two captain class shinigami in a short amount of time and his powers were still growing.

Naturally he sent spies to watch the boy, but when Ulquiorra reported the boy was trash something still didn't sit well with him. The Ryoka boy was succeeding until something distracted him, his hollow perhaps. Ignoring the advice from his fourth espada, he sent Grimmjow and Ulquiorra to retrieve the boy. He put up a better fight than before and was able to use his hollow mask, but he was still no match for the two espada. They brought him in kicking and screaming.

Once the boy was in his care, he felt everything was back on track. However, once again the boy threw everything off. He meant to torture the boy and make him a broken tool…not fall in love with him.

He still remembered the first time he saw Ichigo smile. It made his heart flutter and he never wanted to see tears of pain in those beautiful brown eyes again. Of course the boy wasn't trusting of him, but it slowly grew when he saw his friends were returned to their home safely each time they attempted to rescue him. Overtime, it became more and Aizen realized he found heaven without having to retrieve the King's key. The boy caused him to change his plans, instead of wanting to spend eternity as a god; he wanted to spend it with Ichigo.

Gin was not pleased when he discussed the change of plans, but that changed as soon as the espada brought the silver haired captain's timid lieutenant for him to play with. Tousen was a slight problem. He still wanted revenge against Soul Society and left with Wonderweiss at his side. The rest of the espada did not seem to care. He would often find Ichigo sparring with Grimmjow and Nnoitra.

Aizen stopped at his door and placed his hand on the knob and turned it. A small smile formed on his lips when he saw the blankets ruffed on the bed and the sleeping figure he had left hours ago was still there. As he approached, he watched the boy's naked chest move up and down slowly and knew he was beginning to wake.

He sat down on the edge of the bed and ran his fingers through the soft orange hair that had grown slightly since Ichigo had arrived. His eyes watch his lover's peaceful face twitch in annoyance, already knowing he is not alone. Aizen's smile only grew when one eye lid opened and looked at him before it shut again. The boy tried to roll over and face the other way, but the lord wouldn't have it. He grabbed Ichigo's pillow from underneath his head and ripped it away. The teen grumbled in annoyance and glared at him. Poor thing was not a morning person.

"What the hell? I don't bug you when you sleep." Ichigo growled and tried to reach for his pillow, but the brown haired man moved it away. It was amusing to see him agitated, though it could be easily fixed. When Ichigo first arrived, he had the same defiant attitude that Aizen failed to break. He often wondered if it was the boy's defiance that he found so attractive, his power, or every aspect about him. He wasn't sure, but he leaned towards the latter

"If you continue sleeping like this you will miss the whole day. Breakfast was already served and lunch is being prepared at the moment. And no, I will not allow the espada to save you a meal to bring down to you because you were too lazy to get up. Personally, I feel Stark is rubbing off on you." Aizen commented to Ichigo who at that moment took a chance and grabbed the pillow. He placed it over his head. The lord frowned, he would not be ignored. The boy surely knew that by now.

Aizen stood up and took off his jacket, placing it at the end of the bed before crawling across it to straddle the teen. He couldn't surpass a chuckle when he heard Ichigo groan in annoyance.

He always got what he wanted.

Aizen pulled the pillow away from the vizard with ease and tossed it to the side. A smirk spread across the older male as he bent down with both of his arms on either side of Ichigo's head. The ever present scowl crossed Ichigo's face. There were a few battles he knew he could win against Aizen, depending on the lord's mood; however, he knew this one would be a losing one unless he was able to get an advantage. The only thoughts running through the other man's face was how adorable Ichigo looked when he scowled in a pouty fashion. It was much better than the etches of pain that crossed over his face before

Aizen leaned down and placed a kiss on Ichigo's lips which the teen gladly accepted and kissed back. The teen reached up and pulled the older man to him and traced the small scab marks he had made two nights ago from clawing at the lord's back. He felt a shiver run down his spine as Aizen's fingers traced down the sides of his chest, pulling the blankets down in the process.

Aizen stopped as soon as Ichigo broke the kiss and pushed against his chest. He stared down at the teen and saw a look of frustration. "You're wearing too many clothes." Ichigo grumbled and pulled at the zipper of Aizen's shirt. The lord once again chuckled before he leaned back on his knees.

"So sorry about that, my little strawberry," Aizen replied and saw the teen's eyes narrow. He hated the nickname, something all of the residents in Las Noches learned quickly.

"Shut up." Ichigo growled as he sat up bringing the blankets closer to his body. Now he wasn't in the mood anymore. His eyes roamed over to where Aizen was when he felt the bed shift. He found his lover's shirt was already off and his hakama falling to the floor. Ichigo felt his cheeks flush, something that even after all this time he couldn't help. Though it wasn't as bad as the first time…he'd rather forget about that. Aizen acted differently then. He began to wonder if over the months if he had developed Stockholm syndrome or everything he saw was really an illusion. However, he learned that was not that case at all. Something about Aizen had changed from the sadistic asshole that would torture him to the loving man that was currently caressing his body.

Ichigo let a moan escape his lips as Aizen sucked a spot on his neck. The older man's hands wandered over his body and pulled the blankets back to expose Ichigo's nude body. The teen ran his hands through the gelled brown hair, messing it up in the process. He kissed him before pushing Aizen down onto his back. So many times Ichigo had Aizen on top of him in a dominating manor and it made him feel like he had no control over what happened. This time there would be none of that.

Aizen was a bit surprised by the boy's action, but it passed when he felt the boy's mouth on his already hard cock. He had gotten much better at giving head than the first time. He remembered the terrified face starring at him and unsure of what to do. Now Ichigo could make him give in and moan as the teen engulfed the entire length into his mouth. The boy gagged slightly when it reached the back of his throat and withdrew slightly. He caught his breath before licking the head once more and began sucking on his cock again.

Aizen's hands moved down to grab the boy's hair and stroked it affectionately as he moaned. He felt a hand grab his wrist and Ichigo stopped his actions. He withdrew his mouth from Aizen's cock and smirked at the older man. "It's my turn, now sit back or I'll tie you up." Ichigo threatened and Aizen was amused. He knew he was stronger than the vizard and could overpower him without even using his Zanpakutou, but for this once he would he'd allow the boy to have his way. He would restrain himself, for now at least.

Aizen brought his hand up to his side as Ichigo gave one last lick with his tongue along the lord's length before he pulled back. The older man arched an eyebrow as Ichigo sat back with his legs spread slightly. It was at that moment he realized what the boy's intentions were: the brat was teasing him!

Ichigo placed a few fingers in his mouth and began moving them in and out like he did minutes before with Aizen's cock. He watched as one by one each wet digit escaped the teen's mouth and the slick fingers ran down his chest until they made their way to his entrance and circled it. It took all of Aizen's self restraint to say screw what the boy wants to flip him over and fuck him into the mattress at that moment. He was usually very patient and allowed things come to him, but he didn't know how long he would last. He had to squeeze the base of his to keep from coming when he saw Ichigo's next actions.

Ichigo inwardly smirked knowing he was getting to Aizen. This would teach him to wake him up. He placed his index finger inside his entrance and added a second soon after. He gasped as he began to stretch himself and his half lidded eyes looked over at his lover. A drop of sweat ran down the side of his face and his hands were at his side, though he could tell they were itching into the bed sheets with frustration. Ichigo continued to prepare himself until he knew he was ready. At the moment, he knew he certainly was with his cock dripping pre-cum at the tip.

Ichigo moved his other hand down to his cock and wiped the droplets off and brought them to his mouth. He licked his fingers clean, tasting himself while making eye contact with Aizen. The older man looked like he was about to jump in at any given notice. Good!

The thoughts of tying Aizen up and leaving him there crossed Ichigo's mind. If he had been in this positions months ago he would have done so and torture the bastard, but things had changed. He wouldn't leave his lord like this, it didn't suit him.

Ichigo crawled up Aizen's body and gave a quick peck to his lips before the brown haired man could return the kiss Ichigo impaled himself on his cock. Both men moan in pleasure and Ichigo braced his hands against Aizen's shoulders for support. They had sex numerous times before, willingly and unwillingly, but it still took some time to get adjusted.

Aizen's hands moved automatically to Ichigo's hips and grasped them. He was about to move the teen up, when the vizard shook his head at him. "I'm in charge this time." Ichigo ordered, but Aizen refused to take his hands off the boy's hips. Finally, Ichigo pulled up and then back down gasping in more pleasure than before when his sweet spot was hit.

He felt Aizen's nails dig into his hips and knew there would be bruises later from the action. Apparently, the patient and calm lord was losing his cool from not being in control. "Ichigo," He whispered and the teen automatically started moving faster, Aizen's hips jerking up to impale him deeper than before.

"Shit," Ichigo cursed and barely caught himself from falling on top of the other man. He regained his balance and started moving again, this time more prepared for Aizen's sharp thrusts.

The older man leaned against the pillows that supported his back, his fingers finally releasing the boy's hips. He knew his strawberry wouldn't last longer, and thought perhaps he would give a little assistance with that. He slid his hand over to Ichigo's cock and wrapped his hand around it causing the boy to moan.

"Sosuke," he whimpered and bit his lip in order not to cum right there. His cock was already painfully hard and the feeling of his lover's fingers stroking against him was too much. He released over Aizen's hand and it splashed onto both of their stomachs. Ichigo was panting as he fell forward onto Aizen, who gave one last thrust up and came inside the teen.

Ichigo slid off of the older man and laid onto his side. He could feel the odd sensation of the lord's seed leaking from his entrance and dripping down his thigh. He gave a small yawn and was surprised when Aizen leaned down to kiss him. He returned the kiss, letting his eyes drift shut and that's all it took before he fell back asleep.

Aizen looked down at the now sleeping boy and realized he got what he wanted: to go back to bed. They were more alike than he realized or maybe their personalities were rubbing off on one another. It didn't matter; he would let his little Ichigo go back to bed. He earned it.

He kissed the boys forehead once more before allowing his eyes to shut with a satisfied smirk on his face. He'd allow the boy to win this battle, it was only one.

After all, he already won the war.

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**Question**: I'm debating about turning this into a small fic (though I laugh at this because all my fics usually turn into novels), if I do should it show the past between Ichi and Aizen that lead up to this part of the story aka torture smut or what happens when they wake up from their sleep aka fluffy smut? Or option three, doesn't need anything else added to it, put it to rest damnit!

**Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed, and please review!**


	2. Capture

Thank you so much everyone that reviewed the last chapter! Poor Ichi though, I have a feeling he is going to be taken away from me in this story….though I could to worse.

BIG super thanks to **Mint** for betaing this chapter until I find a yaoi beta-reader.

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**7 months earlier…**

"Let me go, you assholes!" Ichigo screamed as he thrashed against Grimmjow and Ulquiorra to break free of their grip. He had been walking home with his friends like he did every day. As soon as he parted from his friends, a hollow alert went off and was about to hunt it down when Rukia said she had it and could take care of herself. He protested, but she told him she needed to test her powers out more since they recently returned and this would be a good exercise. He finally caved in and let her go on her own. It wasn't until she was gone that he fell into the trap and was now being dragged through the halls of Hueco Mundo.

"Shut up, we heard ya the first time." Grimmjow growled, getting annoyed with the shinigami he had by the arm. Ulquiorra remained quiet and didn't even acknowledge the yelling.

They pushed the double doors open and Ichigo's eyes widened when he saw the tall throne and who was seated in a bored fashion with his hand resting against his cheek. He cursed inwardly and soon forgot his voice as he was dragged forward. This was the same guy who almost killed him in the Soul Society! He felt himself jerk to break free with renewed energy and determination. He couldn't stay here; they were going to kill him!

"It is nice to see you again, Ryoka boy." Aizen said smoothly as Ichigo was thrown to his knees and two firm hands clamped down on his shoulders. He glared up at the lord of Hueco Mundo as he once again tried to break free. He refused to kneel before this bastard!

"What the fuck do you want?" Ichigo snarled and Aizen seemed somewhat amused. He lowered his arm to rest against the armrest.

"Is there any reason for such crude language? I was merely greeting you." Aizen seemed to mock him and it only ticked Ichigo off more. He wanted to rip himself free of the two espada and grab Zangetsu and slice the guy in half.

"Well I'm not happy to see you, now either tell me what you want or let me go!" Ichigo yelled and Aizen noticed the boy's sclera was beginning to darken. So the hollow wanted to come out and play? Well, they couldn't have that. He stood up from his throne and shunpoed until he was a few feet away from the boy.

"I don't believe you have a choice in that matter." Aizen told Ichigo, who felt Grimmjow and Ulquiorra let him go. He slumped forward slightly before he hid a small smirk. He was going to teach this bastard not to talk down to him. As quickly as he could, he turned and yanked Zangetsu out of Grimmjow's grasp and sped forward at Aizen.

He was about to slice the smirking man in half, but before he could, he felt himself being slammed against a hard wall. He cringed as his pain shot through his back and wondered how the man moved so fast. He was in front of him not even seconds ago and now he was holding him by the neck. He felt his hold on Zangetsu loosen until it clanked on the floor and he reached with both hands to try to pry the man off.

"As I was saying, you do not have a choice in the matter. If I want to keep you here, you will stay. If I want you killed, you would have been dead by now." Aizen stated, making his last point very clear. Ichigo narrowed his eyes at the man.

"Why am I here?" Ichigo repeated and tried to kick at the man, but it never reached because the man's hold on him tightened around his neck.

"You are here to make sure you are a good boy and don't interfere with my plans. And if you are a good boy, I'll even allow you to help, however, if you are bad…well you'll find out." He said almost sinisterly that caused Ichigo to gulp. He noticed the hold around his neck loosen and before he knew it he had fallen to the ground.

"Take him to the room across from mine. I had it specially set up for him." Aizen instructed to the two espada. He heard Grimmjow grumble in protest, but ignored it. The Sexta knew better than to disobey an order after receiving punishment from his last act of disobedience.

Ichigo struggled against the two as he tried to stand up and attack Aizen once more. He didn't care how many times the other man beat him down, he would never give up his determination to kill him after what he did to his friends and the Soul Society. He felt Grimmjow and Ulquiorra's hands on him again and tried to struggle, but was still dragged away against his will.

Aizen watched with mild amusement as the boy left through the doors. It would certainly be entertaining to see how far his loyalty lies and how much pain he could take before he caved in. Just how important were his friends to him? He chuckled silently to himself, he was about to find out.

"Can I play with your pet?" He heard Gin next to him and didn't look over to acknowledge the grinning man.

"If I grow bored or want him butchered I will send him to you." Aizen replied to his comrade and heard the groan of annoyance next to him as Gin slung an arm around his shoulders. He was the only person who could get away with this; any other would have been killed on the spot.

"But what fun is it if they aren't screaming in pain?" Gin pouted before Aizen moved forward and turned to look at his friend with smile on his lips.

"I said I don't want the boy's body in pieces, I never said his mind couldn't." Aizen replied before he walked towards the door. He had a lot of things he needed to set up for his sessions with the boy and wanted to start right away.

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Ichigo was once again dragged down the hallway with many doors on either side. He tried to yank himself free from Grimmjow and Ulquiorra, but they held firm. The green eyed espada opened the door to the right and helped drag Ichigo inside. Unlike the rest Las Noches, this room was not white. Instead it looked like a small prison cell with no window, a single bed with no cover or bed sheet, cement tan floor, and a toilet to the left of the room. He scoffed at the room and tried to break free when they threw him forward onto the bed.

"Have a nice time in your new home, Kurosaki." Grimmjow laughed as he followed Ulquiorra out the door. Ichigo glared at the closed door and ran up to it and began turning it. He cursed and backed away from it when he found out it was locked.

He turned back to his small room and walked over to the bed to sit down. What the hell was he supposed to do now? The least they could have done was give him a book to read, but then his eyes narrowed. No, he was not going to accept being a prisoner; he was going to get out of here after he killed Aizen, the two other traitors, and the espada.

_Good luck with that, King_. He heard his hollow mock and he narrowed his eyes. He didn't need to hear him, not now anyways.

"I don't need this now." He whispered though as he thought about it, it wouldn't matter. With his hollow in control, maybe he could use that form and break free. It did do a number of the vizards.

"Talking to yourself, you haven't been here that long to be going crazy on me already." Aizen said at the door with his ever so charming smile. Ichigo stood up from his bed and was about to charge him when he saw the ex-captain place a hand on his Zanpakutou and pulled it out of its sheath. He never learned what special ability it had, but he didn't plan to find out when he was weaponless.

He saw what looked like Aizen whisper something before he placed the weapon back in its sheath. Ichigo felt a sigh of relief knowing the man didn't plan to chop him up and went back to his glaring at the traitor. He watched as the man held up an object in his hand before he threw it at the young man's feet.

"Put it on," Aizen ordered to Ichigo, but the teen wouldn't budge. Instead he kicked the collar across the small room. He was not going to obey this man now or ever.

"How about you shove it up your ass," Ichigo muttered to the ex-captain. He was expecting to see some hints of anger for his defiance, but the man remained calm and cool as ever. He wondered what he'd have to do to make him lose that. Well he had a long time with nothing else to lose and hopefully he'd be able to stall time for his friends to come save him.

"It's a shame your father never taught you any manners, though I supposed we can ask him later." Aizen told the teen who looked up in horror. There was no way he could know his father, he had to be bluffing. "Tell me, Ichigo," the young man fisted his hands into the bed; this bastard didn't have a right to say his name, "What makes you think I would capture only you and no one else?" He asked and watched with amusement as the boy's eyes widened.

"You're lying; I saw my family and friends before you captured me. There's no way you could have captured them in that short amount of time." Ichigo snarled and stood up, debating whether to attempt another attack at the man. The only problem was he didn't know if the door was still unlocked when Aizen came in.

Aizen started to chuckle which got to his nerves. He wanted nothing more than to punch that smirk off his cocky face. "You were busy with my espada; you do know that I have more than two? I had them gather your loved ones while you were fighting them." He revealed and Ichigo felt his breath hitch in his throat.

No, he had to be lying. There was no way Rukia, Renji, Orihime, Uryu, Chad, and his family could have been caught so easily. Hell, Hitsugaya and his team were there, they should have been able to stop them!

"Now put the collar on." Aizen repeated and Ichigo grounded his teeth still thinking the man was bluffing. His gut told him that the man was lying, he lied to all of Soul Society so there was a good chance he was doing the same with him.

_Don't put it on! _He heard his hollow yell in panic. It was a bit startling, his crude and sadistic hollow was afraid of the collar.

"No," Ichigo repeated again and stared into Aizen's eyes. He was not going to cave.

"Very well, Ulquiorra." Aizen called as he turned his head to the right. The door behind him opened slightly and the small figure of the fourth espada appeared with a figure that had her hands tied behind her back.

"Kurosaki-kun!" Orihime yelled and tried to run forward, but the espada held her back. Ichigo's eyes widened when he realized the lord of Hueco Mundo was not bluffing.

'Shit' he cursed to himself as he looked into Orihime's scared teary eyes. He saw Ulquiorra take out of his sword and place it at her neck.

"Now, one last time, put the collar on." Aizen warned and Ichigo turned to look at the collar on the floor. He bent down next to it and picked it up. The whole time he could hear his hollow swearing at him not to put it on. He didn't have a choice.

He brought the collar up to his neck and clasped it together and instantly felt his reiatsu disappear along with his hollow's voice. He looked up at Aizen with the same fire burning in his eyes as he had before. If the man thought that bringing his friends here was going to leave him broken and defeat, he was wrong. This only gave him more determination then before.

"Now that wasn't so hard," Aizen seemed to tease him and turned to look at Ulquiorra and nodded. The espada said nothing as he looked down at Kurosaki. He saw the young man's eyes widened when he brought his sword closer to Orihime's neck and slit her throat.

"WHAT THE FUCK! YOU SAID IF I LISTENED YOU WOULD LET HER GO!" Ichigo screamed as he stood up, but never taking his eyes off of his friend's lifeless body. He glared with hatred back and forth between Aizen and Ulquiorra.

"No it is you who simply misunderstood my intentions. I never said she would be let go if you put the collar on, you assumed I would." Aizen told him and Ichigo lost control and charged at the man. He didn't care if he was helpless; he was not going to let this man get away with killing his friend.

Before he could reach Aizen, he felt the other man pin him to the wall again with that mocking smirk looking down at him. "You may leave, Ulquiorra." Aizen said to his espada who nodded and dragged the girl's body out of the room.

"You son of a bitch" Ichigo growled as he tried to dig his nails into the man's arm, but he didn't let go. Instead he leaned closer to the boy until his lips were next to his ear.

"Just remember, Ichigo, the more resistant you are the more deaths you will cause." He whispered to the boy who flinched. He pulled back and saw a mix of anger and sadness in his eyes, most likely due to seeing his friend killed in front of him. He wondered how he would handle seeing someone closer to him be killed, such as his sisters perhaps. Well he could find out later.

Ichigo jerked his head away as Aizen brought his other hand up and caressed the tear that had slid down the boy's cheek. It was amusing and made him even more curious how far he could push the boy until he cracked.

He dropped the boy at his feet and watched as he remained there, obviously he learned he cannot defeat the brown haired man, for today at least. "Have a good-night, Ichigo." Aizen called before he opened the door and left the boy by himself.

Once he entered the hallway, he saw Ulquiorra still standing there with the figure of Orihime. He waved his hand and the illusion disappeared.

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First there has to be torture before torture smut happens. Ichigo is REALLY going to hate him for quite a while.

Thanks for reading, hope ya enjoyed, and please review!!!


	3. Threat

Sorry it took so long to have this updated!!! I promise I'll try to get the next one up sooner!

Thanks so much to everyone that reviewed the last chapter! Group Hug!

Special Thanks to **Dream7** for beta-readering!

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Ichigo sat in the corner of the room with his arms wrapped around his legs and his chin resting on his knees. He stared blankly at the opposite wall. His mind was still frozen on the sight of Orihime being killed right in front of him. After some time, he closed his eyes and lowered his head in frustration and sorrow.

The only other murder he'd witnessed was his mother's, and for years he'd thought it was his fault. He'd never understood how one person could take another's life so easily. Sure, he'd heard about lots of murders on the news, but that was nothing like seeing it happen right in front of him.

He buried his hands in his hair and pulled on it until it hurt. Now Orihime was another person he'd failed to protect. Deep down he knew that Aizen, bastard that he was, would have killed her no matter what he'd done, but he had made a vow to protect his friends. There had to have been something he could have done to prevent it. If only he hadn't left Zangetsu in the throne room, he would at least have had a weapon and could have attacked Aizen, and even if that hadn't worked, at least he'd be able to rest knowing he'd done something. Instead, he'd just sat there and watched as Orihime's neck was sliced open and her body went limp in Ulquiorra's arms.

Ichigo straightened his legs and brought his hands down to his sides. He could smell something repulsive. A lower arrancar had brought in a plate of uncooked meat and left it next to him while he'd been spacing out. The meat was still oozing blood and looked slightly rank. He turned his head away and fixed his gaze on the wall to his left.

He knew that Aizen was going to try to break him by using the things most important to him, and he didn't know if he could stand seeing another person he cared about get killed. Thoughts of starving himself or finding a faster way to end his life entered his mind, but he dismissed them as quickly as they'd appeared. He was no coward; he couldn't leave his other friends alone in this hellhole. Who knew how they were being treated if they were only pawns Aizen was using to torture him.

Ichigo brought his hands up to the collar and ran his fingers over the heavy band of metal. He had spent all night trying to pull it off to absolutely no effect. He wanted so badly to yank the piece of shit off and smash it in Aizen's mocking face. He knew he shouldn't have gotten his hopes up that Orihime would be all right, especially considering that the words of reassurance had come from a known liar.

Right on cue, he heard the door open and turned his head to see said liar enter the room. His eyes narrowed and he felt an urge to charge the bastard again, but he knew he'd just end up being thrown against the wall again.

"You do know you have a bed you can sleep on, yes? I thought I was being generous by offering it to you," Aizen commented, walking over to the bed to sit down across from the teen. He observed that the boy was much tenser now than he'd been before he entered the room.

"What the fuck do you want?" Ichigo growled, balling his hands into fists. He nearly punched the man in the face in the next moment when he shook his head and looked down at him reprovingly.

"Manners, boy; remember who you are speaking to," Aizen warned, but Ichigo didn't change his demeanor. If anything, he had even less respect for the other man since the horrible things that had happened the day before.

"You're going to do whatever you want anyways, so what does it matter?" Ichigo growled. Aizen allowed himself a small smirk. So the boy was a quick learner. Now he just required some discipline.

"Tell me about your family," Aizen requested. The young man glared at him heatedly, but his sharp eyes caught the tremble that ran through him. "Your sisters, they seem so scared and fragile," he commented in an attempt to make the boy lose his composure. It worked. Within seconds, Ichigo was on his feet and lunging at him. One fist came close to connecting with Aizen's face, but the older man easily caught it. He held Ichigo's hand tightly and twisted it just enough to bring him to his knees in pain.

"You bastard," Ichigo growled, and let out a small yelp when Aizen twisted a little farther in retaliation. If the only way the boy would learn was through pain, then so be it.

"Now really, boy, how many times must I repeat myself?" Aizen said as he brought his other hand up Ichigo's. "How about we play a game? For every swear word you say, I break a finger." Ichigo tensed but didn't respond. Yes, this was going to be quite fun. "Now tell me about them," he demanded.

"You've already seen them; Karin is the one with black hair and Yuzu has brown," he mumbled, feeling sick to his stomach at the thought of anything happening to them. "We lost our mom when I was nine and our dad has raised us alone ever since." His family meant the world to him, even goat face, and he couldn't bear to see anything happen to them.

"Yes, the feisty one has attracted the attention of many of my arrancar," Aizen commented, and Ichigo's head shot up to glare with eyes full of pure hatred. The boy was so predictable. It would only be a matter of time before he broke and turned into another one of his tools like the Espada. At the boy's current power level he was not a threat, but Aizen knew that as time went on that would definately change. "I've had requests from a number of them who would like to play with the little girls for … their amusement."

"They better not fucking touch them!" The words burst from Ichigo's mouth like they'd been torn from him, and were immediately followed by the snap of his index finger breaking. Ichigo let out a strangled scream.

Aizen gazed down at the young man levelly. He had warned him about profanity, and if the boy wasn't going to take him seriously he'd have to suffer the consequences. Eventually he would get it through his head that disobedience meant pain and he'd come around. In the mean time, Aizen would enjoy teaching the boy the lesson.

"I thought I warned you, boy, if you continue to swear bad things will happen," Aizen chastened him mockingly. Ichigo grit his teeth and glared at the lord of Hueco Mundo silently. "You have nine more fingers, so I suggest you choose your actions carefully. Or would you rather I break your toes as well?" The heat of Ichigo's glare could have melted the sun, but he held his tongue. Good; apparently they were getting somewhere.

"Now, if you behave, perhaps I will deny my arrancars' request. But if you disobey..." Aizen leaned forward until his lips were nearly touching Ichigo's ear. "I'll make you watch while they're violated."

That was the last straw. Ichigo jerked away and snarled, "If they touch one hair on their heads I swear I'll rip all your fucking heads off!" He felt his middle finger break, and grit his teeth and shut his eyes tightly as he tried to push back the pain. This was nothing; he could take anything as long as his sisters were safe.

"Don't worry; I am not so heartless that I would leave a couple of innocent young girls to my arrancars' mercies," Aizen promised, leaning forward again until his face was mere inches away from Ichigo's, as if he was daring the young man to try something. "As long as you behave."

Ichigo bowed his head and bit out, "Fine." His free hand tightened into a fist as he tried to resist the temptation to strike the traitor in the face.

"Is that all? Say my name, boy," Aizen commanded, grasping Ichigo's chin and forcing him to look up. He couldn't get enough of the look of sheer hatred he was receiving from the teen.

"Fine. _Aizen_." Ichigo spat his name as if it was venom, but Aizen didn't let go. Instead, he squeezed harder until the boy winced in pain.

"It would do you well to be more respectful. I do not tolerate disrespect the way some of those fools in Soul Society do," Aizen said, and watched in delight as Ichigo's eyes flickered and he bit his lip. It was almost like he could see the boy's inner battle through his eyes and facial expressions. The boy knew that if he disobeyed him the threat on his sisters might be carried out. After watching his little friend die right in front of him, he knew that Aizen wasn't messing around.

"Fine. Aizen … _sama_!" He ground out the name as if it were a curse word. In his mind, it was.

"See now, was that so hard?" Aizen chuckled and released the boy's chin to run his fingers through soft orange hair. He could tell that Ichigo wanted to move away, but with his hand still held captive he didn't stand a chance.

"Now, let's try something different. How did you meet Urahara Kisuke?" Aizen asked with some genuine curiousity. The only thing he knew about the matter was that the boy had been trained by the ex-captain who had created the Hogyoku, and he was also curious to see if the boy would answer without any juvenile behavior.

"His shop is down the street from my house, but I never really talked to him," Ichigo replied, feeling his fingers going numb. "My dad gets some things for the clinic there sometimes, but that was the only time we ever talked to him." He turned his head away and wished he could go back to the corner he'd been sitting in earlier. This whole situation made him want to vomit.

"Interesting," Aizen commented, and brought the broken fingers up to his lips. Ichigo looked up warily, and had to resist the urge to rip his hand away when the traitor kissed each of his broken fingers before finally releasing his hand.

As soon as he was free Ichigo held his injured hand close to his body and moved as far away from the other man as possible. He could feel traces of saliva lingering on his hand and wanted to scrub it off until his skin was raw. "You're sick," Ichigo muttered, and turned his head away.

Aizen slowly stood up and gazed down at his captive. Obviously, the boy had not learned his lesson as well as he'd thought. Just how many times would he have to drill it into his head?

Ichigo heard Aizen approaching, but before he could react he was yanked up by the collar of his haori and slammed against the wall. He grunted in pain and glared through teary eyes, but Aizen held him firmly with a calm and cool expression.

"It doesn't matter what you think, boy. Whether you're in here or out there it makes no difference: you're nothing. Do you truly believe that anyone is going to save you? Maybe they'll come for Kuchiki and Abarai, but not for you. You're nothing but the insolent little ryoka boy who broke into their home and caused trouble. The only difference between here and there is that everything in this kingdom belongs to me, including you. If I want to have your sisters killed in front of you, it will happen. I can have Kuchiki's head torn off her pretty little shoulders. I could make you watch as your father is tortured to death along with everyone else you care about." He admired the way Ichigo's face grew pale at his words.

Aizen looked directly into Ichigo's eyes as he brought a hand up to caress the boy's neck and trail it down to his chest. "If I wanted to," he whispered, moving closer until his lips brushed the boy's ear, "I could violate you right here and now. No one who heard you would care. Or perhaps I'd allow your family and friends to hear you, so I could watch their only hope die." Aizen smirked down at the boy when he stiffened against him. It looked like he was finally starting to get the point.

"Do I make myself clear, boy?" he asked, taking a step back but keeping the young man firmly within his grasp. If there was still any defiance left he'd crush it right then and there.

However, the boy bowed his head and whispered, "Yes, Aizen-sama."

Aizen smiled and finally released him, allowing him to slide down the wall. He brought his hand down and ran his fingers through the young man's hair once more. "Good boy." Aizen pet him for a few more moments and finally turned to leave. "Hopefully our next session will be more pleasant," he said before exiting the room and locking the door behind him.

Ichigo stayed motionless on the floor for several minutes after Aizen left. Panic was running through his chest like never before. He would have been fine if Aizen had just tortured him; he could handle pain if he had to. However, Aizen's threats were something he didn't know how to fight. There was no way he could let anything happen to his family or friends, not to mention the other stuff the man had suggested.

He brought his knees close to his chest. Even though his hollow had been locked away, he could swear he could hear its voice now telling him to stop being a coward and fight the bastard. In this one instance, he thought that his hollow had the right idea. As long as his friends and family were being held captive, they'd always be used against him. He couldn't allow his sisters to grow up in a place like this, living in fear. No matter what, he'd find a way to fight back, and he'd kill Aizen and every single one of his arrancar!

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Sneak Peak for Chapter 4:

"Let me go!" Ichigo yelled and tried to get lose from the older man's hold, but it was too strong. The bastard held him close to his chest as his arms were wrapped tightly around Ichigo's waist to keep him in place.

"But this is so much more enjoyable." Aizen whispered into the young man's ear and leaned his head against the others shoulder to watch the show before him.


	4. Torture

Thank you SOOO much to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, and all the favorite and story alerts ^^ I'm glad you are enjoying this story so far.

Okay, this chapter made me feel bad :( I hurt one of the nicest characters in Bleach.

Warnings: (supposed) character death, violence, not for underage-readers!

Beta'd by the wonderful **Dream7**, thank you for all your hard work!

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It had been two weeks since Aizen had broken two of his fingers, and he still refused to cooperate with the bastard. Even when the pink haired Espada with glasses came in to examine his fingers, he would give him attitude and be as defiant as he could.

He had seen the perfect chance when Pinkie had brought in the first aid kit and he'd spotted a pair of scissors in the box. They were small and would be easy to hide, but the Espada had refused to turn his back on him and he never got a chance to grab them without raising suspicion. His mind racked through different possibilities, and it somewhat scared him. Never before had he wanted to kill someone so badly, but if it would keep his family and friends safe from that psycho he would do it.

The door opened and he groaned in annoyance as Grimmjow entered with a tray of food and dropped it in front of him. He glared at the vegetables and nasty red meat. "I'm not hungry," he muttered, turning his head away.

"I don't care how hungry you are; I've got to make sure you eat or I can't leave," Grimmjow growled at him, shoving the plate closer with his foot. His fierce teal eyes glared down at him immovably, though there were definite signs that he didn't want to be there. After all, it was such a boring task when he could be ripping apart other arrancar just for the fun of it. Furthermore, all of the Espada had been warned against doing anything to Kurosaki during his stay. Aizen had taken it on himself to break the shinigami, but so far the little runt hadn't budged.

"Then you're going to be here for a long time," Ichigo shot back and crossed his arms over his chest, secretly enjoying the angered look in Grimmjow's eyes. He might not be able to hurt Aizen yet, but at least he could piss his lackeys off as much as he wanted.

Grimmjow bent down until he was at eye level with Ichigo, and grabbed the piece of meat with his right hand to shove it in Ichigo's face. "Eat it!" he snarled, ignoring Ichigo's attempts to shove him away. With the collar on the teen was much weaker than normal, making it much easier to force things on him.

Ichigo kept his mouth shut as the meat was smeared across his face, and turned his head away in disgust. The smell alone was enough to make him want to gag. Finally he brought his foot up and kicked Grimmjow in the chest, which made the Espada stop for a moment. Ichigo narrowed his eyes and scooted back from the teal haired arrancar, who looked even more pissed.

"If I tell you to eat something you eat it, bitch!" Grimmjow growled as he moved closer to Ichigo once more, though the teen looked ready to jump him at any moment. Collar or no collar, Ichigo was not going to take crap from Grimmjow – especially since he was the cause of this whole mess. If the Espada hadn't taken him away from his home he wouldn't have been in this situation.

Ichigo suppressed a yelp as Grimmjow grabbed ahold of his hair and forced him to look up at the Espada, who still held the food in his other hand. A snide smirk spread across his face as he brought the teen's face closer to his. "I suppose there are other ways of making you open your mouth," Grimmjow murmured to him. Ichigo frowned in confusion. His first thought was that Grimmjow was going to stab or beat him until he ate the food, but it wasn't until the Espada moved closer and turned the vizard's head in the opposite direction that he got chills down his spine.

"There's no telling when Aizen will be back, but I think I've got enough time to play with you," Grimmjow whispered, and ran his tongue across Ichigo's cheek. The teen froze for a moment before jerking away, earning a sharp tug on his hair. What was wrong with this asshole? He'd never done anything so disgusting during any of their fights. Ichigo vowed that the first thing he'd do when he got free was cut Grimmjow's tongue out.

"Actually, I arrived quite early," they heard from the door. The Espada froze and released Ichigo, who immediately shrunk away. He caught sight of Aizen in the doorway staring down at the two of them. The Lord of Hueco Mundo arched an eyebrow and took a step forward.

Maybe it was just the tension in the air, but Ichigo could swear he heard a small growl erupt from Grimmjow's chest. It was as if another lion was moving in on his prey. However, as much as Grimmjow hated Aizen and would love to see the man fall on his face, he knew that his chances of defeating him were slim to none.

"Report to the room down the hall, I believe Gin has some work for you to do," Aizen ordered, looking past Grimmjow as if he weren't there to gaze at Ichigo. A small smirk appeared on his lips as he saw the teen glare at him with hatred. The boy would never learn, and that would only bring him more trouble.

Grimmjow reluctantly left, shooting Aizen a dirty look before leaving the two alone. The brown haired man observed how the teen didn't move a muscle as he took a few steps closer to him. His gaze shifted to the plate and the food that had fallen to the floor, and he shook his head.

"Now really, boy, was there any reason to make such a mess? I didn't have to feed you, but I decided out of the goodness of my heart to allow you that privilege," Aizen scolded, hovering over the glowering teen.

"You don't have a heart, you bastard," Ichigo growled lowly. He fully expected Aizen to slap, kick, or beat him again for making such a comment, but he didn't care. There was no other word to describe the man. However, the man seemed to smile as he bent down until he was at Ichigo's level and placed a hand on top of his head.

"Such cruel words, and to think I even brought a present for you today. That was why I was hoping you would eat up before the event, but I guess we'll just skip over that," Aizen said, brushing his fingers through Ichigo's untamed hair as if he were petting him. This only aggravated the teenager more, but he restrained himself until Aizen grabbed him with his other hand and yanked him to his feet.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Ichigo snarled at him. One of the few things he had learned over the past few weeks was that if he remained quiet, Aizen would eventually brag about his plans. However, sometimes it was better not to know ahead of time.

"Now that would ruin the surprise, wouldn't it?" Aizen smirked at him before turning towards the door and calling for someone to come in. Ichigo stared at the door until he felt Aizen's hold on him loosen. He took the opportunity to try to flee, but only made it a few steps before arms wrapped around him and he was pulled back to Aizen once more.

"Let me go!" Ichigo yelled. He tried to get loose from the older man's hold, but it was too strong. The bastard held him close to his chest and wrapped his arms tightly around Ichigo's waist to keep him in place.

"But this is so much more enjoyable." Aizen whispered into the young man's ear, and leaned his head against the teen's shoulder. Aaronario and Yammy walked in with a captive Chad who was struggling to get free.

"Chad!" Ichigo yelled. His tall friend looked at him from underneath his bangs, and his eyes widened at the sight of the vizard being held prisoner as well. He wore a collar similar to the one that Ichigo had around his neck, destroying any chance of him using his powers to get free.

"Ichigo," Chad whispered as his arms were grabbed and held behind his back by Yammy to keep him in place. No matter how hard he struggled, the tenth Espada wouldn't loosen his grip.

"What the hell are you doing?" Ichigo snarled at Aizen, and began struggling once more. He had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"I thought a reunion with your dear friend would lighten your mood. Perhaps I was wrong," Aizen said mockingly into Ichigo's ear. He looked back up and nodded towards Aarranario.

The ninth Espada grinned and cracked his knuckles as he took a few steps forward until he was facing Chad. Without warning he punched the teen in the stomach, which would have caused him to double over if it weren't for Yammy holding him up.

"Stop it!" Ichigo yelled as he watched another fist strike his friend in the face, and blood started running from Chad's now broken nose. His stomach clenched as Aaroniero continued his assault without mercy. "Leave him alone!" Ichigo screamed.

"Shush now; you should have known this was coming. I warned you when you first arrived that if you did not bend to my will, others would suffer the consequences of your actions," Aizen told him, tightening his hold on the boy. He kept his left arm wrapped around Ichigo's waist while the other moved up his chest. Aizen buried his face in Ichigo's hair and took in the scent of the teen's fear along with the warmth of the body so close to his. The boy's muscles were tense under his hands.

"Come on, human; I'm sure you have more than that in you!" Aaroniero mocked Chad, who was slowly losing consciousness. Ichigo refused to take his horrified eyes off his friend as he was punched once more. Already his face was swollen with bruises, his nose broken and his lower lip cracked open. Blood stained the Mexican's clothing, and Ichigo could only watch helplessly as Chad finally gave in with a muffled cry of pain when his ribs were struck again.

"Now if you are a good boy, perhaps I'll allow him to live ... unless you'd rather see him beaten to death," Aizen whispered in his ear. Ichigo's eyes widened, but it wasn't the words that shocked him; it was the fact that he could feel Aizen getting hard, and he was grinding against him.

He looked down at the ground around Chad's feet and saw that small puddles of blood were forming. He couldn't take it; what kind of monsters would do this to a defenseless person? Then again, he had to remember that he was not dealing with regular people. Aizen was far more heartless than any hollow he had ever encountered.

"Fine; just leave him the hell alone!" Ichigo yelled, and Aizen raised his reiatsu until the ninth Espada dropped to his knees. Aaroniero looked over at Aizen questioningly, and Aizen gave him a nod.

"Thank you for your help, but that is quite enough for now," Aizen commanded, smiling down at his subordinate as he got back on his feet.

"Come on; let's bring this sorry excuse back to his cell. Wasn't even that much fun," Aaroniero growled with disappointment. He'd wanted to hear the boy screaming in pain, but Chad had refused to give in.

Ichigo watched as they dragged his bloody and unconscious friend out the door. The only sign that his friend was still alive was the slight rise and fall of his chest; other than that he would have thought he was dead.

Aizen waited until his Espada left, leaving him alone with the boy he still held in his arms. He was surprised that Ichigo wasn't struggling even though his friend was no longer being beaten. Normally he took every opportunity he found to try to fight him. However, he wasn't surprised to feel the boy shaking.

"Now." Aizen spun Ichigo around so they faced one another. There was a dark look in Ichigo's eyes that promised payback, but he ignored it. If the boy continued to be rebellious he'd just create an illusion of his sisters being killed. He just didn't understand it; every hideous act he inflicted on the boy only seemed to make him more defiant. "You will not disobey any orders I give to you; however, if you wish to see your friend and the others you care about die, that is your own choice," Aizen told him, bringing his hand under Ichigo's chin and stroking the soft skin of the boy's cheek with his thumb.

"Do I make myself clear?" Aizen asked sternly as if he were talking down to a child. He could see Ichigo grinding his teeth, wishing desperately to protest.

"Yes," Ichigo finally ground out when Aizen's grip on his chin tightened.

"Yes?" Aizen raised an elegant eyebrow at him. "That is not how you address me, boy."

Ichigo wanted nothing more than to spit in his face, but didn't dare risk one of his friends being dragged in and tortured or killed. "Yes ... Aizen … sama," Ichigo growled. There were so many other names he wished to address the bastard by, but he would wait.

"Good boy." Aizen let go of Ichigo's chin and patted him on the head like a dog. His smile widened when the boy's fists clenched with the effort it took not to punch him in the face. Just to antagonize him further, he stood before him for a few more moments and watched the boy continue to struggle against his desires. However, he seemed to have learned his lesson for the day and remained still. "Have a good night, Ryoka boy. I shall see you tomorrow," Aizen said as he turned to leave.

Once the Lord of Hueco Mundo had left his room Ichigo growled and slammed his non-injured hand into the wall, oblivious to the pain that stung his hand and the cracks that formed in the wall. He wanted so desperately to punch that asshole in the face. He needed to get out of there, but most importantly, he needed to get his friends and family out of there.

What was he supposed to do? He wasn't going to bend over and allow Aizen to walk all over him; even the thought of pretending made him sick. He ran his hands through his hair trying to think of what he could do. Obviously, attacking the bastard head on was not an option; Aizen would simply raise his reiatsu and crush him like a bug. It had to be when he wasn't paying attention, but…

He saw a piece of wire that hadn't been in the room before. Obviously Aizen wouldn't have left it, but he could see his Espada leaving it since they were that stupid. He bent down to examine it and smirked at the pointed edge. He looked down at the chopsticks that had been left and picked one up and wrapped the wire around it, making sure the pointed edge was at the end. He doubted it would do much damage, but if he were able to hit the bastard in a vital spot then maybe he'd have a chance. He'd have to wait for the perfect moment, and then, when Aizen had his back turned, he'd kill the asshole.

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A/N: Like with Orihime, Chad was only an illusion to get to Ichigo. The real Chad is in Karakura Town trying to get into Hueco Mundo. Also, this story will eventually be going back to fluffy smut at the beginning, but it's going to be a while. For one, there's the torture smut, and Aizen still has a very pissed off Ichigo.

Next Chapter: **Helpless**

Ichigo wanted to scream, thrash, or do anything as he felt the other man's hand running down his naked chest and moving lower. He tried to move his lips, but they remained paralyzed along with the rest of his body.

Thanks so much for reading, hope you enjoyed, and please review!


	5. Rape

Sorry this chapter took so long… been so busy with school and it being the last week have been hell! I wish I could say there is going to be major updating for this fic, but I have a major test that is required to be passed next month in order for me to be able to take classes next in the fall (added onto my major otherwise I would have been done -_- ) so after that, I'll be updating like crazy after May 21

*glomps everyone that reviewed* love you guys! and thank you to my wonderful beta-reader Dream 7!

**Please Read First!: **this is not what I had originally planned for this chapter, I was writing it and got half way before I deleted it. Aizen went a little too far (more than this chapter), so I skipped over it and went to the next one.

Warnings: yaoi, rape, etc

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Ulquiorra stood in the center of the throne room before the Arrancar Lord, Aizen Sosuke, but didn't dare look into his eyes. He had been given an assignment to spy on the people of Karakura Town, but the only thing he'd learned was that more shinigami had arrived since the ryoka boy had been kidnapped.

Aizen wore his usual mysterious smile as he looked down at his subjects, but his boredom would have been evident to anyone who took a close look at him. He listened to his espada's report with half an ear, but his thoughts were stuck on the boy who still refused to break. Even after being held in captivity for a few weeks, seeing one friend die and another get tortured, and being subjected to all the threats and other torturous things Aizen had put him through, he only seemed to be becoming more defiant.

Everyone had a breaking point; Aizen knew this well. He had played with so many lives in Soul Society and had experimented by seeing how far he could drive them while keeping his intentions hidden. He had thought after watching the boy for a short while that his breaking point would be his friends and family, that the thought of them being tortured and killed in front of him would have broken him completely, but he had yet to receive the expected results. Perhaps the boy still believed that he could break out and rescue his friends. Aizen's smile widened at the thought of Ichigo's expression should he find out that everything he had seen was just an illusion.

He had kept the boy isolated for the past three days, refusing to allow anyone to enter the boy's room for any reason at all. This, of course, had led to a fight between Grimmjow and Nnoitra, with the latter trying to enter the room to fight the boy in his weakened state and Grimmjow refusing to allow anyone but himself beat the kid. Fortunately, Harribel had taken care of the situation and he hadn't needed to intervene. He had been quite amused when he received the report later on from one of her fraccion.

His eyes closed for a brief moment as his thoughts centered on the boy once more. He'd known the kid would be interesting, bit hadn't expected to be quite this intrigued. The teen had plagued his mind ever since he'd arrived, and his distraction had only increased with each passing day. He could still smell the fear and sweat that had brushed his senses when he'd held the boy close to him. That shivering body so close to his…

"We sent some arrancar to distract the shinigami, but they haven't done any damage and have all been destroyed. All damage done to the shinigami was erased by that girl's power," Ulquiorra stated as Aizen awoke from his daydream and finally focused on what his servant was saying. "Do you wish to have another team dispatched?" he asked in his usual monotone voice.

"No, there is no need to waste resources that can be saved for later. We will allow them to do as they please until they enter Hueco Mundo," Aizen responded, and Ulquiorra bowed once more, ignoring the glares he received from other arrancar.

Aizen watched as his subordinate left and the others that were gathered in the room began to leave. Ulquiorra had been the last to report. He lowered his hand and stood up to leave himself. Perhaps it was time to visit his prisoner and see how he was reacting to his isolation. If it proved to be effective he'd have to leave him in his room even longer.

As he walked down the hallway all the arrancar he passed bowed their heads in their lord's direction. His arrogant smile never faltered when he approached his prisoner's door and opened it. He stepped into the room and found the boy sitting in the corner looking bored. Anger flashed in his brown eyes when they landed on him. Still resistant, then.

"Good evening. How have you been holding up?" Aizen asked casually. He stepped further into the room and stood in front of the boy. "You do realize you have a bed," he commented with a hint of amusement in his voice. The boy's hands clenched into fists.

"Fuck off," Ichigo snarled at him, and Aizen's raised an eyebrow. So, starvation and isolation produced no results. Such a shame. The boy's defiance was becoming annoying.

"Now that is not polite, boy. Didn't your father teach you any manners? Perhaps we should bring him in and ask him what he did wrong." Aizen smirked down at the boy when he saw him freeze. Maybe that was the key to breaking the boy: making him watch as his family was tortured or killed.

"I thought so," Aizen said as he turned and began walking towards the door. "Maybe I shall take some of my arrancar to visit your lovely sisters. They've been--" he turned reflexively and snatched Ichigo's arm before the boy could stab him with a crude weapon made from wire and a chopstick. He held the boy's wrist tightly and gazed intensely into the eyes filled with hate.

"Close, but not close enough," Aizen told him, squeezing his wrist tighter until he was forced to drop his weapon. Ichigo tried to punch him with his free hand, but Aizen caught it easily and slammed the boy into the hall. He had expected some resistance, but he had not thought the boy would try to kill him. Apparently he had been making the boy more desperate than broken.

"Let me go, you son of a bitch!" Ichigo growled. He kicked out at Aizen in hopes of getting the upper hand, but Aizen's reiatsu come crashing down and his struggles weakened as nausea hit him. The pressure forced him down hard, and he would have hit the ground if the brown haired man hadn't been holding him so firmly.

"Did you actually believe you'd be able to kill me with a wire?" Aizen said mockingly, lowering his reiatsu to allow the boy to breath. Ichigo glared up the man, but was not released. He doubted that Aizen would turn his back on him again.

"It doesn't matter as long as it kills you!" Ichigo spat at him, and Aizen narrowed his eyes. He had been too easy on the boy. It was time to put him in his place. He took a step closer, grasping both of the teen's hands in one hand and raising them above his head while his other gripped the boy's chin.

"It seems I've been too kind to you. Perhaps I'll have to change tactics," Aizen said. He gazed into the teen's stubborn chocolate brown eyes and the same feeling he'd felt the last time he was this close to the boy began to stir within him. He tried to resist, but the boy squirmed and when he pressed closer to him and he could feel his arousal awakening.

"Like I care what you do to--" Ichigo's was cut off when Aizen smashed his lips against his. His eyes widened in shock and he tried to jerk his head away, but Aizen's hand kept him in place.

"What the fuck!" Ichigo yelled when Aizen began moving down his jaw and down his neck. "Get the hell off of me!" he shouted, freaked out by the older man's actions. After spending … however long he had been there torturing him, he was kissing him? Was the man bipolar?

"Shush." Aizen moved his hand over Ichigo's mouth to quiet him. He hadn't expected the teen to bite. The brown haired man growled and released Ichigo's hands to grab him by the collar and throw him across the room.

Ichigo landed on the rarely used bed, wincing when his head hit the wall. He'd barely had time to scramble back to his feet before Aizen was on him again. The older man pushed him back down and pulled open his dirty haori. He tried to kick his attacker, but Aizen raised his reiatsu again, pressing the boy hard into the bed.

"St-sto-" Ichigo whimpered when Aizen started sucking on his neck and warm fingers began to travel down his chest. He hated to admit it, but he was more than scared; he was terrified. The older man had made him endure many horrific things since he'd been captured, but he'd never acted like this. What had brought this on? Was it some other sick way for Aizen to try to break him? He had certainly never felt so helpless as he did when the man untied his obi and he couldn't do a thing to stop him.

Ichigo's face flushed in embarrassment when Aizen pulled away and the boy could see nothing but lust in the other's eyes. The older man's reiatsu lifted up off his body, allowing him to breathe easier, but he still felt fatigued from the crushing pressure. With all his strength he tried to kick up at the older man once more, but Aizen simply caught the foot and pulled off his socks and sandals.

"Stop," Ichigo protested as he tried to pull away, past the point of caring about his pride. He had a feeling he knew what the other man was planning, but he prayed he was wrong. He had never been kissed before today. Sure, he had masturbated like all teenagers do, but he had always hoped his first time would be with someone who he loved and cherished. He had never imagined he'd be taken against his will by a crazed man.

Aizen grabbed Ichigo by his hair and yanked him up so he could divest the teenager of the rest of his clothing. Ichigo futilely tried to pry the older man's hands away from him, especially when he tried to take his hakama off. "Don't!" Ichigo yelled and tried to punch Aizen, but the older man easily grabbed his hand as if he were moving in slow motion.

"You brought this upon yourself," Aizen whispered into his ear before spinning him around. He pressed the teenager's body close to his and allowed his unoccupied hand to travel down the teenager's chest until it reached the him of his hakama. If he had stopped to think about what he was doing he'd have been disgusted by how barbaric he was acting, but there was something about this damn boy that made him lose his cool. That unsettling feeling had risen in his chest the moment he'd entered the room and seen those fiery eyes staring back at him, and just like last time, it had only grown the longer he was around him. The desire to feel the boy squirming and moaning under him had finally eroded his usual calm persona.

"Please, I--" Ichigo said desperately, but Aizen threw him down face first onto the bed.

"You had your chance, so keep quiet now," Aizen hissed into his ear. The older man took his earlobe into his mouth and bit it painfully. The teenager continued struggling and tried to wiggle free, but Aizen put a hand on his back and held him down. The constant struggle was getting annoying, so Aizen released the boy's earlobe and whispered, "it's either you or your sisters. It's your choice." Almost immediately, the boy stilled under him.

Ichigo's insides froze at the thought of his sisters being in his position. He couldn't bear the thought of their innocence being torn away from them in such a way. Defeated, he closed his eyes and pictured Yuzu's bright smile and Karin's scowl.

"Good boy," the bastard said. A hand combed through his hair like Aizen was petting him, and the grip on his hakama tightened before the garment was ripped off his hips. He felt Aizen take his hand off his back, but as much as he wanted to escape, he didn't dare try after a threat like that. The thing that scared him the most was the knowledge that Aizen couldn't even be trusted to keep his word, and despite everything he'd endured over the past few weeks, he knew that seeing them get violated would ultimately break him.

"Now relax," Aizen whispered, and Ichigo closed his eyes as he tried to block out the sound of clothing being removed behind him. How did he get into this position? Of all the shinigami Aizen could have taken an interest in, why him? Because he was part human? He wanted to say he regretted ever taking Rukia's powers but at the same time he knew that if he hadn't, his family probably would have been killed a long time ago. He couldn't win either way.

Ichigo's fingers dug into the hard bed when he felt something hard and moist poke into his ass. He kept his eyes shut tightly and tried to deny this could be happening to him, but when Aizen forced his cock into his virgin entrance he was forced to accept the horrible reality. He squeezed his eyes tighter to block out the pain as Aizen thrust in roughly, uncaring of the blood that trickled out around him as he sheathed himself completely.

Ichigo bit his lip hard to try to distract himself from the pain in his backside, but it was futile effort. He could feel every ridge on Aizen's cock as the older man pulled out of him slowly, then slammed back in and caused Ichigo to bite his lip harder until it bled. Tears ran down his face and dropped onto the white sheets as the madman moaned in pleasure and continued to ruthlessly thrust into him.

He had made a vow when he entered his small prison that he would never go in, never show weakness. He could feel it breaking as he whimpered in time with Aizen's thrusts. He felt sickened by the blood that was seeping from his torn entrance and running down his thighs, even as he couldn't help but feel grateful for the lubrication. Above him he could hear Aizen moaning and saying something, but he couldn't focus on anything but the pain. He tried clear his mind and block everything out, but with every thrust it was became harder as his vision became cloudy and his nausea grew.

With one last thrust, Aizen emptied himself into the teen below him. A bead of sweat rolled down his face as he pulled out of the teen, eliciting a pained whine. Breathing harshly, he moved back and spent a couple of moments looking down at the boy's torn entrance and the blood running down his leg. Then he pulled his hakama up and rushed out of the room without another word.

Gin peeked around the corner and watched as Aizen exited the room and strode down the hall towards his quarters. His ever-present grin grew wider when he heard the door shut, and he strolled down to visit the captive himself. He wanted to see how much progress Aizen had made in breaking him, and wondered what sort of methods the lord was using: breaking bones? Slicing flesh off? Cutting limbs off? There were all sorts of wonderful little games that could be played. He had asked Aizen on many occasions what he was doing with the boy, but Aizen always refused to answer and his curiosity had grown.

He quietly slipped into the room and took a few steps inside, immediately spotting the boy laying on the bed in the fetal position. His first thought was that maybe Aizen had beaten him, but the hypothesis was quickly shattered when he saw that the boy was naked and was staining the sheets with the blood running down his thigh.

He could hear the boy sobbing quietly, and his grin disappeared into a frown. Aizen had raped the boy? That was the method he was using to break him? Gin's eyes opened slightly to stare down at Ichigo for a moment, then turned to leave.

He didn't bother to shut the door all the way since he was coming right back. He quickly went to his own room to get something and returned to find the boy in the same position he had left him in. Gin spread the white blanket he had brought over Ichigo to cover him up.

Gin gazed down at the boy with an uncharacteristic expression of sympathy. He may be a heartless bastard at times, and he loved seeing people bleed, but this kind of torture was different and Aizen had crossed the line. And Gin knew how it felt to be violated in that way.

Across the hall, Aizen sat on the edge of his king sized bed with his hands folded over his face. He had always been proud of his ability to keep a level head. Never had he lost control the way he had just now. That boy, there was something about him that did something to him. He had noticed it the first time he'd encountered the ryoka; it had felt like something was pulling him to the boy. Perhaps it was just his strength; that was the reason he had captured the boy, after all. The boy's potential was limitless and he was a danger to his plans.

Aizen rubbed his eyes tiredly as he stood and walked towards the bathroom for a shower. He didn't understand his own actions, nor why his control slipped so badly. He had felt it before, such as when he had held the boy as his 'friend' was beaten. The teen's body had fit perfectly against his and he had felt a nearly overwhelming desire for him, but he had been able to restrain himself. Now that he had given in to his desires the craving was even worse, but something still didn't feel right. Even though he had finally let go and taken what he wanted, he felt empty.

Aizen closed the door to the bathroom and leaned back against it, moving away when he glanced into the mirror and saw his reflection staring back at him. He turned on the water and stepped into the shower without disrobing, allowing the water to spray into his face as he rested his forehead against the wall. What was he to do now?

* * *

Yep may Aizen feel guilty, however, this does not mean he is going to change over night, this has actually made him more frustrated with Ichigo and why he acted like this. So, sorry, there is still going to be some Ichigo torture.

Thanks for reading, hope ya enjoyed, and please review :)


	6. Nightmare

Holy smokes I actually updated this! I know its been a while, let's just say its been a hectic summer, really really hectic! But I am now returning to updating my fics (especially next week!)

Thank you so much to everyone who has been patiently waiting and has been reviewing, favoriting, and placing this story on alerts. You guys are the best!

Special thanks to the awesome **Dream7** for betaing this chapter, where would I be without ya!

* * *

Aizen stood on one of the many balconies overlooking the sands of Hueco Mundo, illuminated only by the pale light cast by the half moon in the sky. He was still trying to comprehend how he had lost control around the ryoka boy. He had always complimented himself on his ability to keep his cool while his enemies quickly lost their composure and became vulnerable after a few little mind games. This boy, however, was able to strip him of his self control without even trying, and he couldn't understand how it was happening.

He had been aware he was having strange feelings the day the boy had been brought in, and those feelings had only strengthened with every session they had together. It was odd. Sexually charged images of the boy and himself together had been occupying his dreams each night and captivating his thoughts during the day. It was almost as if the boy had placed a spell on him...

Aizen chuckled to himself. That thought was beyond ridiculous. The only person in his kingdom who could put thoughts in people's minds was himself, and he would never allow himself to fall for such a juvenile trick. He tapped his fingers against the cool white railing. Still, regardless of how it was happening, something would have to be done.

The boy was affecting him too much, and it was becoming a threat to the plans he had dedicated himself to for more than one hundred years. All the careful plotting and the painstaking research on the King's Key could not be endangered just because he was developing feelings for an orange haired shinigami brat.

Feelings…

Those were something only the weak had. He never expressed his emotions openly or allowed others to grow close to him. The only person he knew he could trust was himself, and that was why he never really grew close with anyone. Of course, he had Tousen and Gin on his side, but he would never turn his back on either of them. Tousen was a fool and Gin was an enigma, continuing to reveal new facets of his personality even after so many years. He didn't entirely trust either of them, but trust was unnecessary when both were willing to give up their status in Soul Society in order to help create a new world. He had every intention of keeping true to his vow to enter heaven and sit upon the throne.

"_Stop!"_

The desperate scream again echoed through his mind and interrupted his thoughts. Though it was just a memory, it still sent shivers down his spine. It was normal for a victim to cry out for help or to beg for the torture to stop, and it was nothing he hadn't heard before, but never had he heard it under such revolting circumstances. He preferred to play mind games with his victims until they broke, whether with words or by using illusions to bring their worst nightmares to life. On occasion he would even get out the knives and indulge in some physical torture. But never rape. It just wasn't his style.

He closed his eyes as he remembered plunging into the boy's tight hole and how wonderful it had felt. It was like the boy had been made for him ... and that was where the problems had started. He knew that if he had stopped to think about what he was doing he would have been repulsed, but the boy felt so good around his cock he couldn't focus on anything else. The boy had probably been yelling for him to stop, but little had reached his ears as he continued to thrust inside him.

He slowly opened his eyes and backed away from the railing, running a shaky hand through his neatly kept hair. A wave of nausea washed over him as he realized he still wanted the boy. He wanted to be inside him again, claiming him as his own so no other would ever touch him. Just the thought of Abarai or any of the boy's other companions going near him sparked a twinge of jealousy and anger.

"Aizen-sama, may I have a word with you?" a voice interrupted his thoughts. He quickly masked his emotions before turning around to greet Tousen. The former ninth squad captain stood just outside the doorway with the blond arrancar that had been created not too long ago.

"Of course. Tell me what's on your mind." Aizen ushered him over to the small table that rested to the side of the balcony. A fresh pot of tea was sitting there waiting to be served, just as he liked when he was in deep thought. Wonderweiss sat at Tousen's feet and made awing noises as he looked up at the sky.

"It involves our plans to retrieve the King's Key and recreate Soul Society. Forgive me if I've misinterpreted anything, but I feel like you are concentrating more on that boy than our plans," Tousen commented, keeping his face lowered as he spoke.

"I have not forgotten, and rest assured that everything is going according to plan. In only a matter of weeks, we shall enter Karakura Town. By taking the boy, we have taken away one of Soul Society's greatest weapons. You know as well as I do that if they wanted him back they would have sent a team in to retrieve him, but they are too scared to risk losing any more men before the war's even started. This gives us the opportunity to turn the boy against them," Aizen answered as he sipped his tea without a trace of emotion on his face or in his voice. However, his mind was not on the war and hadn't been for a while.

"Do you think the boy can be turned? From what I heard, he is still resistant," Tousen said as he finally relaxed and started to drink his tea, not noticing Aizen arch an eyebrow at him.

"What have you heard?" the lord of Hueco Mundo asked as he set his cup down, rested an elbow on the table and leaning one cheek against his knuckles as if he were interested in hearing what the other had to say. In fact, he was. He wondered how much the others in Las Noches knew regarding what he had done to the boy.

"That your methods of torture have had little effect on him and he has shown no signs of breaking anytime soon," Tousen replied hesitantly, knowing that he may have overstepped his bounds.

"Those are mere rumors and are none of your concern," Aizen said coolly. Despite their years of acquaintanceship, Tousen wasn't sure whether the ex-captain had been irritated with his inquiry or if he was truly as uncaring as he seemed. Aizen's voice was always so controlled that Tousen still had trouble determining his mood. It was one of the things that made him so unpredictable. "The boy is in my care and that is all you need to know," Aizen added, and Tousen nodded, almost looking as if he were afraid to speak.

"Yes sir, I did not mean to offend you," Tousen said quietly, startling Wonderweiss as he scooted his chair back. Aizen chuckled and resumed sipping his tea.

"If I was offended, my friend, you would know it," Aizen told him as the other traitor got up from the table and bowed before him. He paid little attention to the other as he left with the small arrancar in tow.

Perhaps some of what Tousen said was correct. He had been spending far too much time on the boy…

* * *

_Ichigo yawned and rested his cheek against his knuckles as he sat in class listening the professor go over an essay that would be due in a week. A glance to the side told him that everyone else was about as excited as he was. He sympathized, though he wasn't shaking his head and looking like he was about to burst into tears like Keigo was. _

"_Screw this. I'm going back home before it's due," Renji whispered to him. He rolled his eyes. It was just like the redhead to find a way to dodge the assignment. He wondered how dealt with his division's paperwork. Maybe Byakuya did everything?_

"_Well at least it saves you the embarrassment of everyone finding out how dumb you are," Ichigo commented, and heard the other shinigami grumble a few profanities to his back. _

"_Will you both shut up? I am trying to pay attention," Rukia hissed from the desk next to his. She held a pencil in her hand and looked back up at the teacher as if fascinated by everything the woman said. In front of her sat Orihime who looked to be off in her own little world. Chad sat in front of him, and of course, Uryu was sitting in the front row. _

"_Then why do you have bunnies scribbled all over your notepad?" Ichigo and Renji asked in unison and shot each other a glare for coping one another. _

"_Chappy is helping me." Rukia closed her eyes and folded her arms across her chest, ending the conversation. That is until the soul pager went off. His friends turned to look at her as she pulled out the device and turned it on. Oddly enough, no one in the class was paying any attention to them, and the teacher didn't seem to mind because she continued talking over them. _

"_Where is it?" Ichigo asked, pulling his soul badge out of his pocket just in case. From the look on his friend's face, the hollow must be close. _

"_Right here," someone snarled behind him, and Ichigo turned only to be punched in the face and knocked into Chad. The giant pulled Ichigo to his feet and caught his body as he exited it. The room began to change all around them, and the students disappeared leaving only his friends. In their place were a group of arrancar._

"_Been looking for ya, Kurosaki. Did ya would you would get away?" Grimmjow laughed and was about to take a step forward when a pale hand stopped him in his tracks. He narrowed his eyes at the green-eyed espada that was looking at the shinigami and humans with distaste. _

"_We were only ordered to bring the boy. The rest of the trash may perish," Ulquiorra stated as he lowered his hand. _

_Renji glanced back at Ichigo before bringing his attention back to the espada that were gradually appearing one by one. He stepped in front of Ichigo, knowing they were after him. Rukia and the rest of his friends stood beside him ready to fight. _

"_You're not taking him!" Renji snarled at the espada and lunged forward, Zabimaru in hand. A bark of a laugh was heard before Grimmjow sonido'd in front of Renji and grabbed him by the throat. His other hand held the arm that clung to his zanpakutou, rendering him helpless. _

"_Who's going to stop me? You?" the teal-haired arrancar snorted as he tightened his grip around the redheaded shinigami's throat. _

"_What do you want with Kurosaki-kun?" Orihime asked quietly, her hands on her hair pins, ready to put up a golden shield up at any moment. By now all ten of the espada had appeared and they were completely outnumbered. Rukia sent Soul Society a request for emergency assistance and prayed they got to the school before it was too late. _

"_Why, we are only returning him..." Blood splattered on the floor and everyone turned to stare at the shocked eyes of Orihime. A blade pierced through her chest and blood dripped down from the wound. Her eyes slowly became lifeless as her soul began to fade from her body. She finally fell to the ground when the sword was extracted from her chest, revealing Aizen standing behind her with a confident smirk. " ...to where he belongs," he finished, gazing into Ichigo's wide brown eyes._

"_What are you talking about?" Uryu asked in a low voice from his position kneeling next to Renji, who had been dropped by the Sexta espada. _

_Aizen took a step forward, and Ichigo took a step back. Within a few steps he hit Nnoitra, who laughed and pushed him into Aizen's awaiting arms. Ichigo struggled to pull free of the traitorous shinigami, but Aizen held him close, pinning Ichigo's arms to his sides. He continued to struggle, but when he looked up he saw that each of his friends had been captured by the espada. _

"_Are you sure you want to struggle?" Aizen whispered into his ear. _

"_Get off me!" Renji yelled, struggling in Grimmjow's arms. The espada was enjoying himself. He couldn't wait until he was given the word to slaughter the redhead and the rest of them. _

"_What did you mean?" Rukia asked, having given up on breaking free. She knew the best way to get out of this alive was to wait for backup to arrive and try to keep the enemy from getting restless enough to kill them off before they could get there. It would also be useful if she could get some information from them while she was at it._

"_You never told them, Ichigo?" Aizen chuckled as the teen struggled, only to freeze when he felt the older man's erection brushing his lower back. "And here I thought you were honest with your friends." His tongue darted out and traced the shell of the teen's ear, causing his friends to gasp in disbelief. _

"_Leave him the fuck alone!" Renji shouted, only to be punched in the stomach and dropped to his knees. He held a hand to his stomach as he glared up at the former captain. _

"_Get-" Ichigo attempted to head butt Aizen, but a hand snaked up and covered his mouth, stilling the motion. _

"_You seem so restless. You weren't like this last time we were together." Aizen smirked at the horror that filled Ichigo's friends' eyes. The older man found himself enjoying their shocked expressions, so he parted Ichigo's haori and snuck a hand inside to twirl his finger around a perk nipple. _

"_That can't be true," Uryu stated. He tried to look into Ichigo's eyes, but his classmate looked down in shame. _

"_Go ahead pet, why don't you tell them?" Aizen whispered in his ear as he removed his hand from the teen's mouth. Ichigo still refused to meet the eyes of his friends that were watching and waiting for him to speak. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Rukia stare at him in disbelief before turning to look at Chad. _

"_Ichigo…" Chad was the first to speak, but the teen still refused to look him in the eyes. _

"_How could you?" he heard Renji whisper from the ground in disgust. He finally looked up to see the redhead stagger to his feet. Surprisingly, this time no one restrained him. "You slept with the enemy? What the fuck is wrong with you?" he yelled. Ichigo opened his mouth to protest. It wasn't like that! He didn't want it. He didn't want that bastard's hands on him. His lips on him. His cock buried inside him as he was ravaged against his will. However, Ichigo's voice was lost to him. _

"_Will you still feel bad watching me kill them one by one?" Aizen asked him. As he spoke, Yammy came forward and started pounding on Chad. Ichigo struggled to get free so he could help his best friend, but the lord of Hueco Mundo held him securely against his body. Panic started to set in as the older man's hand dipped down into his hakama and wrapped around his limp cock. _

"_Admit it, seeing their blood turns you on." Aizen bit his ear as he began to stroke. Ichigo shut his eyes and shook his head, trying to deny this could be happening. He heard a muffled cry and looked up to see the pink haired espada stabbing Uryu with a needle and musing about all the lovely experiments he could perform on the last Quincy. _

"_St-stop," Ichigo whispered. He bit his lip until it bled, but he could feel his cock beginning to harden. He heard a yell and glanced over to see Rukia being pulled up by her hair as the ninth espada sliced through her shoulder and tormented her using the image of Kaien Shiba. _

"_You want this. Admit it and I will let them go," Aizen murmured into his ear as he licked down his neck and began to suck on a sensitive spot just above his shoulder. _

"_Y-agh!" Ichigo again started struggling in Aizen's arms. His friends were being tortured and killed right in front of him and this bastard was fondling him. It was sick and repulsive and he hated his body for giving into the pleasures the older man was forcing on him. "You're a liar," he finally spit out. _

_To his surprise, the hand left him and he was suddenly brought to his knees. His loosened hakama slipped down his hips. "Just remember, you caused their deaths," Aizen whispered in his ear. The other man encircled his waist with one hand while the other spread his legs apart. Ichigo looked up at his friends in desperation only to see Uryu being carried off. Chad was lying on the floor in a pool of blood. A spear penetrated all the way through Rukia's body, which lay only inches away from Orihime's corpse. _

_He gasped in pain as the older man's cock shoved into him violently and began to thrust. He could feel himself tearing inside, and blood soon started trickling down his thighs. He didn't know what made him sicker: that Aizen was raping him, the way his rapist was moaning in pleasure, or the look of disgust in Renji's eyes before Grimmjow sliced his throat open. _

_Traitor…_

"AH!" Ichigo screamed as he shot up in bed, clutching the sheet around him protectively. He instantly felt pain shoot up his back and closed his eyes tightly as he lay back down. Reality finally came back to him, and he wryly wondered whether this hell was any better than the dream. Both nightmares were going to end the same, though at least in reality he knew that some of his friends and family were still alive ... for now.

He pressed himself as close to the wall as possible, feeling the cool surface sooth his warm, sweaty back. He hated this. Was that what his life was going to like from now on? Raped for the pleasure of that madman while his friends were killed? His stomach twisted into knots and he felt the urge to vomit again.

When he'd first woken up after Aizen had left, he'd thrown up over the side of the bed at the memory of what the man had done to him. It was unreal. He had never imagined this might happen when he had first been taken captive. He'd figured that if he stayed strong he'd eventually find a way to break free and rescue his friends and family, and then they'd be able to defeat Aizen and his espada together. The good guys always won. The good guys didn't get raped while watching their comrades die. What would his friends think?

He closed his eyes in resignation. There was no way he could face his friends after what had happened. They would either look at him with disgust or pity, neither of which he could stand. He had always come through for them when they were in trouble and had been able to win no matter how bad the odds, but now he just felt dirty and weak. He could still feel the other man inside of him.

He twisted to his side, wincing in pain. What could he do?

**Karakura Town – Urahara's Shoten **

"This is bullshit! What do you mean you're not helping?" Renji yelled at the tenth division captain. Toshiro Hitsugaya lowered his eyes and glanced away from the lieutenant. He hated having to tell Ichigo's friends that the Gotei 13 would not be providing any assistance in the rescue of the substitute shinigami. The expressions on the faces of all of Ichigo's friends were disheartening, and he felt doubly bad when Orihime broke into tears. Chad's knees buckled under him, and he had to brace himself against the wall to stay on his feet. In the corner of his eye he could see the Quincy Uryu Ishida giving him a death glare.

"I approached the Captain Commander and he stated that neither I nor anyone else in the Gotei 13 are allowed to enter Hueco Mundo without permission. Anyone who helps will likely be stripped of his rank and thrown into prison. That applies to you as well," he told Kuchiki and Abarai unhappily, though something told him that the two were unlikely to obey. He himself had felt rather agitated after receiving the order to leave Kurosaki in Hueco Mundo. He couldn't begin to guess what the traitors were doing to the ryoka boy at that moment, but he knew it couldn't be anything good.

"I don't understand. After all the help Ichigo has given Soul Society they're going to abandon him?" Rukia asked in disbelief. When she thought it over, though, she could see their point of view. They had sentenced her to death and wouldn't listen to reason until Ichigo showed up and rescued her, and they still would have gone through with it if the traitors hadn't revealed themselves. She knew it was really Aizen who had been behind the orders to execute her, but still, knowing the old rules that were set by Central 46, she doubted there was anyone they would hesitate to convict. They would even execute the Captain Commander if he slipped up. What she didn't understand was why the old man was still following the old laws now that they were gone.

"He said we are not allowed to risk any of our people with the war approaching. He said that we'll try to rescue him when we're ready to mount an attack on Aizen's forces, and we'll just have to hope he's okay until then." Hitsugaya sighed. Even he knew the whole thing was a bunch of bullshit. They had been ordered to leave someone who had potential to end the war with the enemy.

"Well you can tell the Captain Commander that he has no control over me, and I will be going to Hueco Mundo to rescue my friend. I don't care if Soul Society is torn down, nor do I care how many shinigami are injured as long as they aren't Ichigo," Uryu stated, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. The others looked at him in surprise. Such an openly supportive statement was unusual coming from Ichigo's rival, but despite how often the two argued, the others realized that Uryu would never leave a friend in enemy territory and neither would Ichigo.

"That goes for the rest of us! We are not leaving Kurosaki-kun, not after all he has done for us!" Orihime announced as she jumped to her feet. Her eyes were red and puffy from the tears she had spilled, but she knew that crying would not bring Ichigo back and that they needed to go as soon as possible.

"I won't abandon Ichigo," Chad said quietly as he stood next to Orihime.

"That goes for me too. I owe him my life." Rukia looked at Hitsugaya with determination in her eyes. She knew what the consequences would be for breaking the law and she knew that Byakuya would not be pleased with her, but she was going to stand her ground for what she believed in. Ichigo had changed her world within a week of their first meeting. Unlike most of those in the Gotei 13, nothing would stop him from trying to save a friend in trouble, and she owed him nothing less.

"You can tell Captain Kuchiki that if he wants a new lieutenant he can find a new one, 'cause I'm going too." Renji folded his arms over his chest and stared down at the short white-haired captain. He had spent so long to get to his position only to find out it meant nothing. Sure, it was fun being a pompous ass towards his subordinates, but if it cost him a close friend like Ichigo it wasn't worth it. It was because of Ichigo that he learned that friends were one of the most important things in life.

"Very well." Captain Hitsugaya sighed as he walked towards the entrance of the shop, but hesitated just before the door. "I hope you are able to succeed," he whispered quietly. A look of regret filled his eyes before he finally left.

"I must say, Kurosaki-kun sure has some good friends if they are willing to defy the Soul Society to get him back," Urahara said from the corner, his fan covering his face.

"Urahara-san, you said before that you know how to open a garganta. I was wondering if you would help us," Orihime asked the older man politely. He snapped his fan shut to reveal a wide grin.

"Ah, I would like to, but there is one small thing," the blond said as he stood up. He then had to take a step back, as Rukia was suddenly in his face.

"This had better not be some scam you're trying to pull! I swear, if you charge us to open a garganta I will-" Rukia shouted at the poor shopkeeper.

"Now now, I would never charge any of you in order to get my pupil back. Actually, what I was going to say was that Yoruichi-san will be joining you and will be here tomorrow with everything you'll need to get Kurosaki-kun back." Urahara waved his hand soothingly, and Rukia calmed down.

"Until then I suggest you rest up, as it will be a hard journey," Urahara suggested to them. He watched as they conversed with one another about what they should bring (Uryu trying to decide which outfit would look best on everyone). He hadn't expressed his thoughts, but in truth, he wanted to open a garganta and rescue Ichigo right there and then. Knowing Aizen, Ichigo was not fairing as well as they all hoped. Soul Society was delusional if they truly believed he would come out unharmed.

* * *

I promise next chapter will not take 4 months to update! I actually hope to have the next chapter up by next week! *crosses fingers*

Thanks so much for reading, hope ya enjoyed, and please review!


	7. Red

Thank you soooooo much to everyone that reviewed this the last chapter and sorry this one took longer to update than I wanted.

Special thanks to the awesome **Panruru** for betaing this chapter

Warnings: language, sexual content that might not be suited for younger viewers.

* * *

Ichigo opened his eyes and stared up at the white ceiling. He didn't even remember falling asleep. At least this time had been more peaceful than his previous slumber. At least this time he hadn't dreamed, or if he had he didn't remember.

He stared at the specks on the ceiling, of which there were sixty-eight in total, and began wondering how long he had been in this hellhole. He'd completely lost track after his … encounter … with Aizen. Before that he'd been keeping track by the routine he'd been given: a low ranked arrancar would bring in a few scraps of food in the morning, a few hours later Aizen would enter and try to break him, and depending on how it went either the arrancar would return and bring more food in or he'd be left to starve until the next morning. Now, he didn't even bother moving from his place on the bed.

He squeezed his eyes shut and pounded his fist into the hard mattress beneath him. It was all that bastard's fault! He knew he could beat him and he still desired nothing more than to rip Aizen's heart out, but the mere thought of being in the man's presence ... he didn't like to admit it even to himself, but it frightened him. He had never been afraid during battle because he always knew he would win since there was no other option. However, Aizen would never give him the chance defend himself and could take advantage of him anytime he wished.

He felt like such a failure. How could he rescue his family and friends when he couldn't even save himself? Were they even still alive? Had Aizen or any of the espada been torturing them? Did they know… did they know what the bastard had done to him? He could clearly see Aizen smirking down at them through the bars as he told them what he'd done to the person they were relying on to save them. He could see the horror in Rukia's eyes, the anger on Renji's face as he yelled profanities, and the icy scowl on Uryu that promised vengeance. Hell, he didn't even know if Chad had lived after the beating he'd taken. Had he been taken back to his cell with the others or had he been thrown to the wolves? How were they coping with Orihime's death? Did they even know or did they think she was with him?

Then the thought of his innocent sisters entered his mind. Yuzu, there was no way she'd be able to handle this place. Karin was strong, but that couldn't last long in a place like this. He couldn't stand the thought of either of them being imprisoned somewhere in this hellhole.

Ichigo opened his eyes, feeling the fierce determination to escape return. He had to do it, not for himself, but for them. Their lives were normal and they didn't deserve to be thrown into this world just because of their association with him. He'd get them out, one way or another.

The sound of the door opening made him stiffen. He looked over his shoulder to spot a figure that was too short to be Aizen, and breathed a sigh of relief. However, when he identified Ulquiorra his eyes narrowed. The memory of Orihime's dead body hitting the floor was still fresh in his mind.

"Get up. You are coming with me," Ulquiorra informed him, his intonation more that of a statement than an order. Aizen-sama had made a request and the loyal fourth espada would make sure that it was carried out no matter what.

Ichigo gritted his teeth and slowly sat up, but refused to stand. Instead, he glared at the passive green eyes boring into him. "Why?" he asked lowly. He knew that with the collar on he wouldn't stand a chance against the espada no matter how much he wanted to put his fist through that pale, pasty face, but he wasn't going to submissively do whatever the arrancar said.

"Aizen-sama wishes for you to be bathed. Now stand up. I will not repeat myself again," Ulquiorra ordered, refusing to move from his spot by the door. The brat would comply with his demands even if he had to drag him out the door by his hair. He absently took note of the stench in the room. The mixture of sweat and other foul odors had always been present, but now something new had been added.

"Or what?" Ichigo challenged, refusing to give in despite his helplessness. If it had been Grimmjow or any other espada he might have thought about listening, but the fact that Ulquiorra had dared to enter his room like nothing had happened the last time ticked him off to no end.

Ulquiorra narrowed his eyes and took a step forward. If the boy wanted to play this way, he'd have to do it on someone else's time. Unlike the other trash that roamed Las Noches (Grimmjow and Nnoitra, for instance) he would make no idle threats and wouldn't torture the shinigami unless ordered. Aizen-sama had demanded the boy get cleaned up and so the boy was going to get cleaned up, even if Ulquiorra had to wash him down himself.

"If you are going to act like a child..." Ulquiorra grabbed him harshly by the arm and forced him to his feet. "...you will be treated like one." He effortlessly dragged Ichigo towards the door.

"Is this what you did to Orihime when you dragged her from her cell?" Ichigo snarled, digging his fingers into the pale skin restraining him. His feet slid across the floor and he almost fell backwards when the espada stopped.

"What did you say?" Ulquiorra asked in a low tone that made Ichigo confused.

"You heard me, you fucking prick." the shinigami pounded his arm against the arrancar's tough skin, though it seems like he was hurting himself more than he was hurting the espada. "Or did you already forget her after the way you killed her?" he growled, not letting up on his assault. He could feel a bruise forming on the side of his wrist where his hand continued to fruitlessly beat against the espada.

He didn't really expect the heartless arrancar to answer him, and figured that if he did it would be just to mock him. Instead, though, the espada stared at him as if he was calculating something in his mind. It only made Ichigo even more furious; the bastard had killed his friend right in front of him and now he was acting like she didn't exist. If it had been Grimmjow would have shoved it in his face and taunted him with the knowledge, but at least that would have given him more of a reason to kick his ass and let out some frustration.

"Let's go." Ulquiorra began pulling Ichigo again, dismissing the boy's words. He didn't know what the the shinigami was talking about, but knew that his lord had been torturing the boy for a while now. If his lord had mad the boy believe that his fourth espada had killed this Orihime, then he wouldn't undermine Aizen-sama's plans.

He ignored the cursing teen all the way to the bath area, having to drag him by his arm as if he was a small child. Many of the arrancar they passed in the halls gave them strange looks, with the exception of Stark who looked more annoyed than anything having been woken up by the noisy brat.

Once inside, he released his hold on Ichigo and let the boy tumble backwards, nearly tripping over the dirty blanket that was still wrapped around him. The bath area was small and mostly used only by the lower arrancar since the higher ranking men had private bathrooms. Like the rest of Las Noches, it consisted of white walls and tile and was slightly larger than Ichigo's cell. To the right was a shower faucet that hung high over a drain, and a side shelf on the wall held a new bottle of shampoo and a fresh bar of soap.

"You have five minutes. I suggest you don't waste it," Ulquiorra warned, and walked over to a bench to sit down next to a bundle of clean white towels. Ichigo glared at Orihime's murderer and took a step towards the shower, hating the way the shower was in the open so he wouldn't have any privacy. He just hoped the espada turned around and didn't watch him as he showered.

Shooting a quick 'fuck you' look at the espada, he turned around and slowly lowered the blanket and tied it around his waist before taking off his battered haori and tossing it on the ground far enough that it hopefully wouldn't get soaked. _Not like it really matters, _he thought bitterly before peeking over at the espada. The pale arrancar was still watching him, and he felt his cheeks turn red.

"Can you turn around?" Ichigo snapped, clutching at the blanket which was the only thing left shielding his lower half from the espada's eyes.

"I am to make sure you bathe and do nothing else," Ulquiorra answered in his usual monotone voice, and Ichigo scoffed. What the hell could he do? He had a collar on his neck that restricted his reiatsu. If he tried to run, Ulquiorra would probably stop him before he even made it halfway to the door. Besides, there was no way he was going to prance around Hueco Mundo naked in front of a bunch of hollows.

"Whatever," Ichigo growled, and turned around to start the water. He did his best to ignore the espada's presence and imagine no one was in the room with him. On the bright side, the little asshole was so quiet that it wasn't hard.

He tested the water with his fingers and felt that it was warm enough, so he stepped into the spray. He closed his eyes, enjoying the feeling of all that dirt and grease rinsing off. After a couple minutes, he took the wash rag and soap and rubbed them together until bubbles were leaking off the rag. He ran it over his thin chest and scrubbed as hard as he could, trying to get the filth off. It seemed like no matter how hard he scrubbed his chest or arms, though, they still felt dirty. _Fucking Aizen_, he cursed to himself as he ran the rag up underneath the collar and around his neck.

_Goddamn pervert. I swear, the first thing I'll do if I ever get Zangetsu back is stab his eyes out, _he thought to himself when he turned slightly and saw that Ulquiorra was still watching him.

After washing his nether regions he dropped the rag on the floor and reached for the shampoo, pouring a good amount of it into his hair. He scrubbed his scalp vigorously, enjoying the feeling of his hair becoming clean after being so greasy for so long. He closed his eyes, ignoring the soap that ran over his face, and finally dropped his hands to the sides and allowed the spray to rinse his hair. He had to admit, he felt a little better now. The warm water caressed his skin and eased sore muscles that were getting cramped from inactivity.

"Five minutes is up." He opened his eyes in irritation when the espada spoke and glanced over at him. Ulquiorra was now standing a few feet away with a couple towels in his hands. "Either turn it off or I will do it myself," he warned. Ichigo cursed under his breath, ticked that the first tiny bit of freedom he'd had since his capture was being taken away so quickly.

He reluctantly turned the water off and took the towels Ulquiorra handed him, tying one around his waist before drying his hair with the other. He didn't notice the pale espada grabbing the blanket and his haori until he brought the towel away from his face and saw the arrancar dumping them into the trash can next to the bench.

"What the fuck!" Ichigo cursed, irritably stepping forward to retrieve his only clothing.

"New clothes have been brought for you." Ulquiorra motioned towards the bench where a bundle of white clothing sat, and Ichigo's heart skipped a beat.

"I-I don't want them." He took a step back and looked back towards the trash where his black haori lay. It was the only link he had to his life before being imprisoned, even if it was filthy and torn. It reminded him of his shinigami friends and everyone who was waiting for him. It shouldn't have been a big deal, but he knew that if he put on the white arrancar clothing he'd feel like a traitor.

"You do not have a choice. Either put these clothes on or you will walk the halls naked. Be warned, the other arrancar are not as composed as I am and will not hesitate to take advantage of your pathetic state should you choose to go without," Ulquiorra replied. He took a step in front of the trash can, dashing any hopes Ichigo might have had of retrieving his clothes.

Ichigo clenched his hands into fists and lowered his head so the espada couldn't see the anger and sorrow in his eyes. He hated this. He hated being so weak. He wanted nothing more than to chop the espada's head off, but it was impossible to fight back with the collar around his neck. No matter how much he wanted to be strong, he was vulnerable in this state and he knew it.

It made him human.

Ichigo grabbed the clothes on the bench and began putting on the white sleeveless vest, dropping the towel he'd been using on the floor by Ulquiorra's feet. He could feel the anger inside of him burning in his chest, railing at him for being so weak. He dropped the other towel and pulled on the white hakama, but paused when he reached for the obi.

Red.

Aizen's color.

Ichigo's eyes narrowed further as he picked up the scrap of red silk, wanting nothing more than to tear it in half. He hated red, he hated white, he hated the arrancar, but most of all, he hated that bastard Aizen. The man had scarred him for life by making him watch, helpless, as one of his friends was beaten to a pulp and another was killed. But apparently that hadn't been enough, because he'd followed it up by raping him. As much as he kept trying to push past the pain and convince himself that he'd be find a way to kill Aizen and his espada, he knew that he didn't stand a chance.

Red symbolized so many different things. He'd learned about it in English Lit a long time ago. It could stand for sacrifice and courage; both were things he had in plenty. He would gladly sacrifice himself if it would keep those he cherished safe. He'd faced off against the entire Gotei 13 to save Rukia from execution, and if that wasn't courage, he didn't know what was. Red also had several other meanings that fit the bastard he loathed. Guilt, sin, anger, blood, lust. Those four suited him perfectly; the last best of all since he doubted the man even knew what love was.

"We do not have all day." Ulquiorra's voice cut through his thoughts, and he rolled his eyes at the espada as he finally tied the obi around his waist. He looked up as the arrancar headed towards the door and held it open, motioning for him to follow.

Ichigo sighed. His chest felt hollow, and he looked back at the trash can one last time before following Ulquiorra out the door. He kept his gaze to the floor as he walked down the hallway, avoiding eye contact with the arrancar that passed by. His emotions were starting to overwhelm him and he felt like he might have a breakdown at any moment.

He couldn't deny it anymore; he had failed. There was nothing he could do to save his friends and family. His only hope, his only prayer, was that the captains of the Gotei 13 would somehow find their way into Hueco Mundo and burn Las Noches until it was nothing but ashes. Hopefully his sisters and friends would still be alive by then. At the moment, he doubted he would be.

"In here." Ulquiorra opened the door to his room and Ichigo went though, not bothering to face the espada. Upon stepping into the room, however, he stopped and stared around in confusion. He quickly turned back but found that the espada had already left. He ran to the door and tried to pull it open, but of course it was locked.

_What the hell is going on?_ he thought, turning back to gaze around a room that wasn't his.

**Throne Room**

Aizen listened attentively to a report from one of the lower arrancar. Apparently that old fool Urahara was planning to open a garganta so the ryoka boy's friends could enter Hueco Mundo and save him. As amusing as it sounded (two shinigami, a Quincy, and two humans racing through the sands of his home with the belief that they stood a chance of rescuing their friend and escaping alive), he wasn't going to take any chances. He always played it safe, even when the odds were heavily stacked in his favor. He decided to send the ninth or tenth espada after them; at the very least, either arrancar should be able to keep them occupied for a while. If by some chance they prevailed, he would simply send a stronger espada to clean up the remains.

The double doors at the end of the room opened and the arrancar silenced himself when he saw Ulquiorra step in. Fear was written all over the pathetic creature's face as he took a nervous step back. "That will be all for now," Aizen dismissed him. The creature seemed to be overwhelmed with joy and bowed quickly before leaving.

"I have completed the task, Aizen-sama," Ulquiorra stated as he bowed down on one knee before his lord.

Aizen propped an elbow on the armrest on his throne and rested his cheek against the back of one hand. As much as he wanted to go ahead with his plans and start moving against Seireitei, he still found himself questioning his feelings towards the ryoka boy. Were they real or was it just infatuation? He swore to himself that as soon as he fond an answer to that question he would continue with the war. In the meantime, he'd satisfied Tousen and his other underlings by sending spies to Karakura Town to watch over Urahara and the ryoka's friends and report any shinigami activity. He listened carefully to each report, but avoided questioning his decision to send only lower arrancar to do the job while he had his most trusted espada taking care of his current interest.

"Excellent. Will you show me?" Aizen asked, leaning back and resting his arms against the armrests.

"Of course." Ulquiorra nodded and stood up. He raised his right hand and plucked an eye from its socket, crushing it so the tiny particles could escape into the air.

Aizen breathed in the dust and closed his eyes, resting his head against the back of his throne. He watched as Ulquiorra forced the boy out of his room and dragged him to the showers. A small smile spread across his lips when he watched the blanket fall from the boy's hips, revealing his nude form. He'd only seen the boy's back during their previous encounter, and he felt a spark of arousal shoot through him at the sight of the boy's young, muscular body and the limp cock hanging between his legs.

He watched as water slid down the teen's lightly muscled back, trailing down into the crack between the firm globes of his behind. Pleasurable memories of his cock buried inside that tight ass, being squeezed firmly and with such heat, came rushing back with force. He was sure that the boy was still tight, though he might still be a little torn from their last encounter…

At that, he opened his eyes as feelings of guilt once again resurfaced. He remembered the blood that had run down the boy's thigh as he took him. How he'd screamed for him to stop. The painful moan when he'd finally released his seed deep inside of him. Though he couldn't help but be aroused by the memory, that arousal was swiftly being overwhelmed by his guilt at taking the boy's virginity so roughly and in such a manner.

He let his eyes fall shut again and watched as the boy finished his shower and turned to get dressed. He saw the pained and angered expression on his face when he was forced to wear white along with Aizen's own personal choice of obi. Confusion swept through him as he watched the boy clench the obi tightly in his fists until Ulquiorra forced him to put it on. He should have felt satisfaction at the knowledge that his enemy was starting to break, but instead all he felt was pity. The boy was nothing but a toy to be broken and replaced by the next shinigami he chose to play with, and yet... He was no different from any of the others, yet somehow he was. Aizen had felt no remorse when he'd stabbed Hinamori, sliced into Captain Kommaru, and left the entire Gotei 13 in chaos after the betrayal of three of its captains. What made this boy so different that it could elicit such a reaction from him?

"Thank you Ulquiorra, that will be all," he dismissed the fourth espada, who nodded before leaving.

He sat and pondered the conundrum until he heard a creak from one side of the room and glanced over at a pillar. "You should know better than to hide from me, Gin," Aizen said in a bored voice as the silver haired traitor emerged from the shadows with a grin on his face.

"Just interested in seein' whatcha doin'. This is the most I've seen ya here for days since you've been so busy with that kid," Gin stated as he approached the throne. "Ya comin' close to breakin' him yet?" he asked, and shunpoed next to Aizen's throne to lean against it.

"What do you know?" Aizen asked, knowing instantly that the other was hiding something. Unlike Tousen, Gin was no fool and couldn't be dissuaded with pretty words. He also always knew more than he was willing to say.

"Oh, this and that. Actually, I decided to visit him the other day..." Gin shrugged and Aizen glanced up at the other man sharply. "I was expectin' ya to chop him up and leave his body parts all over. Didn't know ya were the kinda guy who likes to rape kids," he said quietly, and opened his eyes to look down at the lord of Hueco Mundo.

"I am not. That boy–"

"Ichigo," Gin interrupted. He knew that Aizen never used the boy's name. For once, he he had caught the older man off guard.

"...Yes. He has proven to be more difficult to break than I originally thought. Furthermore, since first day we captured him he's been provoking feelings from me that I am still struggling to understand," Aizen confessed to his longtime friend. Of all the people in Las Noches, Gin was the only one he felt he could trust with this. He'd taken him in and freely trained him when others had thrown him away because of his creepy grin. He had never fully trusted the younger man, but Gin was the closest thing he had to a son. He had been so wrapped up with his thoughts of the ryoka that he hadn't even considered how the silver haired ex-captain would feel about his actions. He knew of the hardships Gin had gone through growing up in Rukongai; the younger shinigami had told him of his past back when he was still his lieutenant. Although he liked to act as if nothing ever bothered him, rape was a very sensitive subject for him.

"Sounds like ya got feelings for him. Heh, who woulda thought that someone who's gonna be God soon would get so attached to a prisoner?" Gin shook his head with a grin. He knew his his leader was probably a little annoyed by the taunt, but it rang true. Aizen was confused about the boy because he was developing feelings for him. Gin pushed away from the throne and peered down at the older man. "Ya might wanna do something about those feelings before it's too late. Anyway, we still got a war coming up," he sang before Aizen could open his mouth, and walked away.

Aizen watched the other man leave as he pondered his next move. He wanted answers: were these feelings genuine? Did he really feel something for the boy – for Ichigo?

* * *

Poor Aizen, I want the handsome devil who mind fucked everyone back! Though, Ichi can stay in his sexy new look ^^

Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed, and please review!


	8. Hopeless

Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed the last chapter *hugs*, I really appreciate the wonderful feedback!

This chapter depressed the hell out of me, and luckily is one of the two most depressing chapters in the story (one more to go later). I'm going to be so happy when my bereavement and hospice classes are over and they stop affecting my stories.

Special thanks to my always wonderful **Panruru **for beta-reading this chapter!

Warning: language, sexual that might not be suitable for younger viewers

* * *

Ichigo had been pacing around his new room for ten, maybe as many as thirty minutes. Something was definitely off, and it made him feel even more uneasy than he'd already been. Since his capture he'd been confined to that small, cramped, poor excuse of a room, and now all of the sudden he'd been transferred into this, this … well, it was nicer than his room back home.

Plush white carpet comforted his feet as he walked towards the black leather loveseat on the left side of the room, which sat not far away from two bookshelves filled with a wide variety of books. A black table and two chairs sat on the right side of the room. A white tablecloth covered the table, and a silver platter rested on top with a cover to keep the food inside warm. He had peeked, allowing his curiosity to get the best of him, and found a gourmet meal that had made his mouth water just from the smell. However, he hadn't given in to temptation. He had simply covered the food back up, wary of it being drugged or having something else wrong with it. The only thing they'd ever served him was gruel and scraps they must have dug out of the garbage, and he doubted they'd decided to spoil him for the day and give him the perfect meal. Turning away, he made his way over to the large queen size bed, sat down on the white silk sheets, and stared at the dim lamp that rested on a nightstand on the right side of the bed. He was only able to rest for only a few minutes before he found himself up and pacing once more.

He didn't like this. Something was definitely up, and it was making him feel more on edge than he would have been if they'd dragged him back to his old cell. Why give him a new room? Why give him new clothes and allow him to bathe for the first time since he'd been captured? Were they trying to trick him into dropping his guard? He shook his head. That would never happen, not again. No matter well or how poorly they treated him, he'd still be able to stay cocky and give them attitude ... _unless he's here. _Ichigo shuddered at the thought of the lord of Hueco Mundo entering the room. Luckily, he hadn't seen any sign of the man that had stolen not only his first kiss, but also his virginity.

Ichigo stopped pacing and placed his hand on the leather sofa for support. _What are they going to think of me? Can I even be with another person now?_ Everything had been ripped away by that squeezed his eyes tightly shut and tried to remain calm and keep himself from breaking down. He'd been holding it in for so long and now he could feel it creeping up on him. No, right now he had to remain as strong as possible for his friends; he could deal with his own problems later when they were safe. He tried to make himself believe that, but his emotions were becoming increasingly unstable and hard to control.

His eyes shot towards the door when he saw it creep open, and he felt his heart stop for a split second. He prayed it wasn't who he thought it was. He didn't want to ever see him again, but he knew the chances of that happening were slim to none. In truth, he was surprised the bastard hadn't come to him already to taunt him or … another shudder ran through him; he didn't want to think about what more Aizen could do. He had already killed one of his friends, tortured another, held his friends and family hostage, and violated him. He didn't think he could take much more.

Slowly the door crept open, and his heart jumped when he saw two small figures race into the room. One looked frightened and scared while the other looked as if she wanted to pick a fight. He saw Ulquiorra standing behind them, but as soon as they made eye contact the arrancar turned around and left.

"Ichi-nii!" Yuzu spotted him and his eyes softened, tears of joy filling them for the first time in memory. His sisters ran to him and he bent down and hugged them close, not wanting to ever let go. He kissed Karin and Yuzu on the top of their heads, grateful they were safe and seemed unharmed.

"We're so scared! We kept asking about you and no one would tell us what was happening! Rukia-chan and Renji-kun kept yelling at them, but they just ignored them. Papa kept saying you were going to be okay, but I know he's worried too," Yuzu cried into Ichigo's shoulder, and he ran a hand through her soft hair. He could feel his heart aching from what she'd told him. He felt so guilty for dragging them into this. If it wasn't for him, none of them would have been involved and they would have gone on with their innocent lives without knowing that such things even existed.

"That dipshit with the eye patch kept taunting us until I punched him in the face," Karin told him proudly, trying to lighten the mood. "He was swearing and trying to get to us and this guy with brown hair had to drag him away." She gave him a small smile, but refused to let go of her big brother.

"I'm so sorry," Ichigo whispered to them, leaning his head against the top of Yuzu's. He'd get them out of here, even if he died trying.

"It's not your fault. They came in the middle of the night and no one even saw them until we woke up here, so stop blaming yourself!" Karin scolded him, and he gave her a small smile. "We'll get out of here, I know it!" she said determinedly, but Yuzu still looked uncertain. She'd always been the most innocent of the family. While Karin and Ichigo had always been tough and didn't hesitate to knock down their father during his insane moments, Yuzu always solved her problems by making people feel better. She had never been exposed to such harsh conditions before, and he could see that it was scarring her.

"I want to go home now," Yuzu whispered, and Ichigo rubbed her back soothingly. He'd get them free, one way or another.

Ichigo was opening his mouth to reassure her when the door opened again, making him freeze. He clutched his sisters closer and narrowed his eyes as the door swung open, then broke into a cold sweat when Aizen stepped inside the room with that cocky smirk on his face. Ichigo straightened and pushed his sisters behind him, determined not to allow that bastard to get even an inch closer to them.

Aizen smirked when he entered the room to see Ichigo pushing the illusion of his sisters behind him protectively. The boy certainly had courage, even after all that had been done to him; he was still willing to sacrifice his own safety to protect his sisters (even if they weren't real). He could see determination burning in the youth's eyes, like he was ready to pounce at any moment. A trait he very much admired.

"I hope you enjoyed your little visit." Aizen smiled at Ichigo, ignoring the two illusions that were now acting like they were scared. Everything about them seemed perfectly real, from each strand of hair down to the toes on their feet; the scent they gave off; the tears in their eyes; and even the love they appeared to have for their 'brother'. It was no wonder the boy was so protective of them, especially since Ichigo also believed he had killed the orange haired girl. If only the boy had seen the tiny flaws in the illusions, but he'd been too tied up in grief to notice. An advantage that had always worked against Aizen's enemies.

"You're not taking them," Ichigo growled, spreading his arms in front of the illusions as Ulquiorra reentered the room. He stiffened, his eyes focusing on the fourth espada's zanpakutou more than anything. The same zanpakutou that had killed Orihime without a moment of hesitation. His eyes widened in fear as he prayed that the bastard was not going to do what he dreaded the most. He was willing to break and serve him; he would do anything so long as his sisters remained safe!

"I must insist that they leave since what I wish to discuss involves not only them, but your other friends as well," Aizen told the boy. He could see the conflict in his eyes – should he let them go or try to keep them here when he lacked the strength to protect them? He watched as Ichigo turned around and hugged his sisters, whispering something into their ears before letting go.

"Don't worry; they'll be safe." Aizen turned his head to the side and Ulquiorra stepped forward, taking each girl by the hand. He turned back to see Ichigo glaring down at the carpet, his hands clenched into fists as if he was about ready to beat someone to a bloody pulp. For the safety of his sisters, however, he remained still. "Why don't we have a seat and get down to business?" Aizen walked over to the small table and sat down in the chair across from the one with the plate in front of it.

"I'll stand," Ichigo whispered. He took a step back, not wanting to get too close to the bastard. Aizen noted that since his 'sisters' had left the room he'd refused to even look at him. He supposed it was understandable. After all, he hadn't entirely been himself when they'd last met. He'd lost his calm demeanor and allowed his desires to goad him into taking the boy unwillingly. Now was the time to figure out his true feelings for the boy – for Ichigo.

"Very well. I am willing to make a compromise with you." The boy looked up towards the feet of the table, but still refused to raise his head. Apparently the statement had peeked his interest. "Remember: this is a onetime deal. Refuse and it will be forgotten. I am willing to allow your family and friends, all of them, safe passage back to your home town with a promise that they will remain unharmed by my espada." He smirked when Ichigo raised his head and stared at him in shock. He could see that the boy had had to stop himself from shouting 'yes', but his eyes had said it anyway.

"Why?" Ichigo croaked, swallowing to clear his dry throat. "You wouldn't let them go free without something in return. What do you want?" he asked lowly. A part of him feared the answer, but the offer was too good to ignore. He was startled when Aizen stood up and approached him. His heart was beating a mile a minute, like it wanted to escape from his chest.

"I am willing to guarantee their safety and return them home on the condition that you remain here, and for tonight…" Aizen trailed off and stepped closer to the frightened boy to brush his cheek, making Ichigo flinch.

"H-how will I b-be able t-to know you k-kept your promise?" Ichigo choked on the words, biting his lip and holding back the tears that threatened to spill from his eyes. He felt the rush of dread that spread through him just by being close to this man. He wanted his disgusting fingers off of him. He wanted him on the other side of the room, or better yet, not in the same world as him!

Aizen took a step back, letting his hand fall to his side as he turned towards a screen on the left side of the bed that Ichigo hadn't noticed before. Aizen motioned for him to step forward, but he couldn't move his body; his muscles were paralyzed with fear. "If you wish to know they are safe, then come here," Aizen said softly. It was the same tone of voice he'd used to trick so many into thinking he was a nice man who cared for his subordinates while in the Gotei 13. If only those old fools had known what kind of man he really was!

Ichigo finally forced his shaking legs to move forward, keeping a safe distance between himself and Aizen as he looked at the screen. It showed Rukia, Renji, Uryu, a bandaged up Chad, Karin, Yuzu, and his father, the last of which was yelling at Nnoitra to let him go. Beside them stood Ulquiorra, Harribel, and Stark, keeping guard and waiting to send the shinigami and humans through a garganta at Aizen's orders.

"All I require is one answer and they will be sleeping in their own beds by tonight," Aizen said. His eyes wandered over to the substitute shinigami, who looked quite distressed.

_Stay with this fucking bastard who will probably rape me over and over again, and they'll be able to go home safe. _He stared up at his family and friends, wishing he could get their advice. Knowing them, they'd say not to accept. If one leaves they all leave ... but that only counted for his friends. He'd seen the fear in Yuzu's eyes, and this might be the only opportunity he got to send her home safe along with Karin and the others. He wanted to jump at the opportunity, but the consequences rested heavily on his mind. He would remain here. And...

"So, what will it be?" Aizen asked, breaking up his thoughts. "They are waiting, you know," he added, and Ichigo looked down at the ground, squeezing his eyes together tightly.

"Let them go," he whispered, suppressing a sob that wanted to escape him. He tried to reassure himself that this was the right decision and that this was the only way to ensure that his family and friends would get home safe. His friends could return to Soul Society, and hopefully they'd try to rescue him later on … if there was any part of him left to rescue by then.

"Of course." Aizen turned back towards the screen, and Ulquiorra nodded. Ichigo opened his watery eyes to watch his family and friends leave. They were safe now; they would be safe as long as…

"Now..." He shuddered and felt his stomach flip when Aizen whispered into his ear and placed a hand on his shoulder. He wanted to move, to punch the man in the face and run for the door, as futile as it might be, but he didn't dare. "I think you know what I want." He squeezed his eyes shut once again when he felt Aizen's lips brush his cheek, kissing away a tear that had escaped.

Aizen ran his hands down Ichigo's shivering arms before wrapping them around the boy's waist. Everything had gone exactly as he'd imagined it. Bring the illusion of his sisters in and make the boy crack a little before offering him a chance for their freedom. The boy had to know what price it'd come at, and it seemed he did given the way he was shivering in his arms. Right now, he cared more about finding his own feelings than protecting the boy's. Why did this boy make him feel guilty when he had manipulated and killed hundreds and hadn't been affected in the slightest? He wanted to see if those feelings would resurface when he got closer he got to the boy, but so far he wanted nothing more than to devour him.

"Go over to the bed and undress," Aizen whispered into his ear as he backed away from the teen, ignoring the small sob that escaped from Ichigo's lips. He took off his own jacket and tossed it onto the bed, his eyes never leave the boy's trembling form. Ichigo slowly approached the bed and placed his hand on the zipper of his vest, but couldn't bring himself to pull it down.

Aizen continued removing his clothing until he was wearing only his white hakama. He approached the boy, who had still not followed his order and seemed to be in a daze. He walked up behind him and placed his hand over the boy's, startling him as he pulled the hand down along with the zipper.

Inside Ichigo's mind, memories of being forced onto the bed and taken brutally were making it impossible to focus. The pain he'd felt as Aizen forced himself on him, stealing everything away from him. They kept replaying over and over until he felt Aizen pull his vest off of him and turn him around. He didn't try to hide the fact that he was frightened. What was the point? There was no reason to act brave when his nightmares were becoming reality once more.

"It'll be better this time," Aizen whispered to him as he dropped the boy's hakama to his feet and pushed him back onto the bed. The boy refused to meet his gaze, and probably couldn't even if he'd wanted to because of the tears running down his cheeks. Aizen paid little attention to the boy's face, however, as he sat beside the boy and began sucking on his neck while his hands wandered down his body.

Ichigo continued to whimper, ignoring the bastard's words. He didn't want this! He wanted to be left alone! He could feel his stomach churning and bile rising in his throat. He felt so sick and disgusted with himself. He was nothing but a toy for this bastard. After all the training he'd put himself through, pushing himself past his limits day after day to get stronger, he'd been given a fate that rendered it all useless. This was no way for a warrior to end up, and he almost wished the bastard would just kill him instead of humiliating him like this.

Aizen moved down the boy's chest, tongue darting out to sample a nipple while his hands wandered to the boy's limp cock and brushed it with his fingers. He noticed a slight difference in himself. A possessive side he'd never encountered before. He wanted to claim the boy, to dominate him. No other was allowed to touch him. Something in his chest had been fluttering from the moment he'd walked into the room and spotted the boy that haunted his dreams. This was what he had been feeling this entire time; he wanted to own the boy.

And he always got what he wanted, one way or–

Ichigo suddenly forced himself out of Aizen's embrace and clutched the side of the bed before vomiting onto the floor. His whole body convulsed as he emptied his stomach, coughing and almost choking on what was coming up.

Sitting next to him, Aizen stared at the boy. It was in that instant that his possessive side died and a protective one took over. He wanted to comfort Ichigo. To hold the boy and soothe him until his stomach settled. To wipe away the tears and hold him until he fell asleep in his arms.

That was the first time he really saw the boy's face. The tears dripping down his cheeks, the sniffling coming from his nose, and the red eyes tired from all the crying he'd done. He felt his heart wrench at the sight, and the guilt returned tenfold. He had been the cause of the boy's current state.

He slowly moved over to Ichigo, who kept his head over the side of the bed and breathed heavily while wiping his mouth. He placed a hand on the boy's naked shoulder, but Ichigo jerked away from him violently. He watched in surprise as the boy scooted as far away from him as possible, the flow of tears running down his face increasing before the boy grabbed a pillow and sobbed into it.

"This is all my, my, my fault," Ichigo cried, and Aizen could only stare, his mask of indifference cracking to reveal sympathy in his features. "They're going to to die now. You're going to kill them 'cause, 'cause, 'cause I couldn't keep my side of..." he sobbed into the pillow, hiding his face.

Aizen bowed his head, feeling utterly disgusted with himself. He'd wanted to know his feelings for the boy, but now his perfect plan had backfired. He'd thought he'd just wanted the boy, to have him as a toy or whatnot. However, now he felt his own heart breaking at the sight of the boy's distress.

Aizen got off the bed and quickly dressed. He noticed that the boy hadn't moved from his spot on the bed and was sobbing just as hard as before. His eyes softened, and he turned towards the door. He knew that the last person the boy wanted to see was him, and figured it would be best to give him some time alone. Hopefully he would calm down and sleep.

As he put his hand on the door handle he turned his head, deciding to at least put some of the boy's fears at ease. "Your family and friends are still going to be safe," Aizen promised in a soft voice before turning back and leaving the room.

As soon as he stepped into the white hallway, he marched down to his room. All the arrancar in his path hastily moved out of his way as he passed by them. He reached his room and was about to throw the door open when a shadow peeled away from the wall, and he narrowed his eyes.

"So, how did it go?" Gin asked, and followed Aizen into his room. The silver haired ex-captain shut the door behind him as Aizen raked a hand through his hair in frustration. Gin frowned at the sight and opened his eyes in concern; he had never seen Aizen look so frustrated before.

"Badly. It answered nothing for me," Aizen confessed, turning around to look at his former student. "The moment I thought I had it all figured out, my feelings changed and I wanted nothing more than to comfort that boy," he muttered, before walking towards the liquor cabinet and pulling out his finest bottle of wine.

Gin had to suppress a chuckle, knowing it would only anger his lord. He had figured it out as soon as Aizen had told him he was feeling guilty about raping the boy. Anyone could, but then again, Aizen had never taken a lover. He had spent so much time distancing himself, claiming that relationships were for the weak and the only person he could truly count on was himself. He had never allowed himself to grow close to anyone before. He didn't know what love was, nor the things it could do to a person.

"Ya mean Ichigo." Gin tilted his head to the side, his grin returning. He saw Aizen pour himself a glass of red wine before drinking deeply. Ah, his former captain must have been upset to go for the liquor instead of the tea. "Ya know what his name is, but ya keep on distancing yourself from it. Trying ta dehumanize him like ya do everyone else." He shook his head. "But ta tell ya the truth, captain, I know what it is. I know why Ichigo is affectin' ya so," he revealed, catching Aizen's attention.

"Ya love him." Aizen set his glass on the table, immediately trying to dismiss Gin's statement. It was ridiculous. He did not love that boy. He was only a prisoner who happened to be playing with his emotions, and it was frustrating him. He was always the one in control, always one step ahead of his enemies causing them to break. The roles were never reversed.

"You don't know what you're talking about, Gin," Aizen told him, and was about to leave the room when Gin dared to step in front of the door, blocking his path.

"Don't I? Does your heart flutter when you're around him? Do ya feel possessive towards him, like if anyone tried to harm him ya would kill them? Is he on your mind so much you're losing sleep at night? Face the facts, captain; ya felt guilty about what ya did to Ichigo because ya hurt him," Gin told him. He opened his eyes, deadly serious for once.

"Enough of this, Gin." Aizen pushed past his former student before he had to harm him.

"Denial is always the first stage," Gin sang as the ex-captain moved towards the door to get away from him. "Ya'll realize it eventually; I just hope it ain't too late." Aizen stalked down the hallway, furious with his subordinate.

"Just know this: Ichigo ain't gonna forgive ya that easily!"

* * *

*lights a candle* you will be missed Aizen. Though, I've heard something about KS might be trying to work it's way into Ichi's mind *crosses fingers* it's a gift of love!

_**Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed, and **_**please review!**


	9. Love?

Thank you so much everyone that reviewed the previous chapter! *Aizen plushies for all!*

Special thanks to the wonderful **Panruru** for betaing this chapter!

Warnings: language.

* * *

_"Just know this: Ichigo ain't gonna forgive ya that easily!"_

Aizen's opened his eyes and stared up at the ceiling of his bedroom. Once again he was having restless sleep, all due to that boy. He couldn't work his mind around why the boy had affected him so and why he wanted nothing more than to take care of him. He had never felt such affection towards anyone in his life: not Gin, not his Espada, and certainly not any other man or woman he had ever crossed paths with.

There was something that attracted him to the boy, something he'd felt even before the boy was captured and made prisoner in his kingdom. It had always been there; he just hadn't realized it at the time. He remembered watching the boy and his friends enter Soul Society and attempt to break into Seiretei. Foolish as it was to rush into danger so unprepared, he had been mildly impressed with the boy. He knew the boy wasn't ready to go head to head with some of the fiercer captains and had sent Gin to interrupt their quest but not to harm them ... much. Unknowingly, the boy's brash actions had only aided his plans, increasing his interest the bright haired boy. He could see the potential radiating off of him and knew he could grow to be a threat, and that was what had led to the current situation. However, the measures he'd taken had backfired. The boy was now more of a threat to Aizen's plans that he'd ever been, and he didn't even know it.

A part of him craved the boy, wanting to hold and possess him and kill anyone who dared to even look at him. His hypothesis of his feelings being mere lust had been proven wrong. If it had been only lust, he would have taken the boy regardless of his condition.

He closed his eyes and tried to block out Gin's taunting words that had been replaying constantly in his mind like a broken record. He did not love the boy! He couldn't, and there was no way he was going to throw away the hundred years he'd spent plotting to obtain the King's Key and become god for a worthless human. The boy could never offer him what he truly desired.

Love?

It was a useless weakness that tore at men's hearts. It had started many useless wars and feuds, and could only end in tragedy. It was something only the powerless craved since they could not protect themselves and had to rely on another to protect and care for them. He would not allow himself to fall so low. He would rise above those fools and crush that word from both this existence and the next.

Aizen narrowed his eyes at the ceiling before throwing the blankets off his body. He had had enough. He would not allow this boy to affect him any longer, cursing him with emotions he did not wish to feel. He knew the only way to solve this problem was to dispose of the boy. Once the problem was gone, he'd be able to return to his plans without any more useless feelings of guilt, remorse, sorrow, and most annoyingly, the light feeling he got in his chest when his eyes were on the boy. He would get rid of them all tonight.

He walked over to his closet and quickly dressed, not caring for once that his hair was in a state of disarray. He grabbed his zanpakutou and gripped it tightly in his left hand as he threw his bedroom door open and marched down the hall towards his prisoner's bedroom only a few doors down.

He would end this tonight. He would make the boy pay for affecting him in such a way. First, he would make the boy suffer for daring to inflict these emotions on him. If the boy thought he was in Hell now, he would learn a whole new meaning to the word. He knew the boy's weakness. He had often whispered it in his sleep while Aizen observed him on the monitor. He knew there was something the boy cherished even more than his friends and baby sisters. There was only one person that could tear his world apart and leave him completely broken.

A small smirk played on Aizen's lips at the knowledge that he would be the person to rip the boy's heart out before ending his life.

* * *

Ichigo huddled in the farthest corner of his new quarters. After Aizen had left, he hadn't dared to move for a few hours. Eventually an arrancar had come to clean up the mess, and he'd quickly dressed. Despite what had happened, he felt slightly relieved that the man hadn't raped him again. However, he couldn't trust Aizen's promise to leave his family and friends alone. There was no real way to tell if he was keeping his promise. For all he knew, Aizen could have sent one of his arrancar to Karakura Town to kill them all.

He slowly shook his head, trying to block out the thought. It was a possibility, but he couldn't bear to consider it. It was already bad enough seeing Orihime's face every time he slept, reminding him of his failure to protect her. He couldn't lose anyone else, and his only consolation was the belief they were no longer being held within Las Noches and were back in Karakura Town where they belonged.

He folded his arms around his knees and brought them closer to his chest before resting his forehead against them. He felt a silent tear run down his cheek and soak into the white fabric of his hakama. He was so useless and pathetic, his friends and family were better off forgetting about him. He had failed them. Hell, he couldn't even protect himself, much less them. If it hadn't been for him, none of this would have happened.

_And Orihime… _He closed his eyes and shook his head as depression overrode all other emotion once more. She had been so innocent. She wasn't meant for this life, but because of him she'd... And Chad, his best friend and loyal companion, had been dragged in and beaten in front of him...

He suddenly felt sick again and had to swallow against the bile rising in his throat. He couldn't stand the thought of his strong friend, the one who would never hurt a fly and always protected those weaker than him, being beaten like a dog just to hurt him. His friend didn't deserve it, and his stomach clenched at the thought of all that might have happened to his friends and family while he was trapped in the cell.

He couldn't trust Aizen or any of his men. Hell, they had spent over a hundred years lying to Soul Society before they betrayed them and left them shattered; there was no way he could believe anything they had to say. Just because Aizen told him that his friends and family were unharmed didn't mean it was true. Who knew what had happened to them while in confinement. Were they starved? Had they been mocked and abused by the Espada? Did they … did they know what was happening to him?

The mere thought of them knowing he'd been raped made him feel even more disgusting, and he buried his head further into his legs. If they knew, would they understand? Or would they mark him as a traitor? The thought seemed silly, but at the same time it did not. The Gotei 13 were extremely strict and they had taken on the responsibility of upholding the law until the Central 46 could be rebuilt. So would they understand, or would they decide he was a disgusting rat that needed to be executed?

He heard the door creak open and felt himself freeze involuntarily. Fear raced through him and he refused to look up. What terrified him most was the thought of looking up to see Aizen standing above him. The lord of Hueco Mundo could do whatever he wanted to him at any point in time. He was still confused as to why the man had backed off earlier, but he couldn't complain. He just hoped he hadn't returned to finish what he'd started.

The sound of the door closing echoed through the room, and Ichigo already knew it was locked. Not that he wanted to go running through the halls of Las Noches with enemies stationed at every corner, but he didn't like knowing that he was trapped. He tried to calm himself, taking in a deep breath before slowly exhaling. It wouldn't do him any good to panic, even if that was what his instincts were calling for at the moment.

"Ichigo." His eyes snapped wide open and he slowly raised his head when he was greeted by the feminine voice. His mouth fell open and he couldn't help but stare at the woman he'd long believed to be dead.

_This can't be real. This is a dream,_ he thought to himself as he watched her make her way across the room, a warm smile spread across her beautiful face. Once she'd reached him, she bent down until they were at eye level and placed a gentle hand on his knee. _I don't care if this is a dream, I don't want it to end. _His eyes teared up anew and he felt his heart skip a beat.

"I've missed you," she said gently. He blinked once and couldn't help but fall into her chest and sob as he hugged her. He felt her tenderly stroke his hair as he held her, and she ran her other hand up and down his back.

"Mom," he cried and held onto her more tightly, feeling that if he let go either she'd disappear or he'd wake up. He didn't care if he remained like this for the rest of his life; there was nothing he wanted more than to be held by his mother like when he was younger.

"Shh, it's alright. I'm here," she soothed and rubbed circles around his back as he continued to cry into her shoulder. She'd used to do this every night when there was a thunderstorm and he'd wake up and run to his parents' room. His mother would always quietly walk him back to his room and stay with him until either he fell asleep or the rain stopped. To him, whenever she was around there was nothing to be afraid of. He could be brave for her no matter how hurt or scared he was.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't protect them. I couldn't protect you." He buried his head further into her shoulder until she pulled away slightly, and he stared up into her beautiful eyes. It was then that he noticed she was wearing the same outfit she'd worn the night she'd been killed. Flashes ran through his mind of the little girl he'd tried to save, and then waking up to find his mother's dead body over him. He knew now that it had happened because of that disgusting hollow, Grand Fisher, but at the time he'd blamed himself for her death. Like he did now with Orihime's death, Chad being beaten, and his family and friends being torn away from their lives and held prisoner.

In the corner of the room, Aizen stood with his zanpakutou drawn and watched the moving scene before him. He had studied Ichigo after he'd left Soul Society and ascended into Hueco Mundo. The boy had sparked his curiosity, and he'd soon stumbled upon Ichigo's greatest weakness: his mother. Sure, he adored his sisters, put up with his father, and always protected his friends, but the one person he'd cherished most in his life was Masaki Kurosaki.

He hadn't been sure exactly how the boy would take to seeing an illusion of his dead mother, but it didn't matter anyway. If Ichigo freaked out and didn't believe the woman was really his mother, he would simply have her kill the boy and be done with it. The fact that the boy was willing to accept the illusion showed how desperate he'd become. He was willing to accept any form of comfort he could get, real or not.

He watched the two converse and saw how Ichigo held on to her so desperately. The scene was becoming harder to watch than he'd expected. He could feel remorse and guilt spreading through him again but he quashed the feelings, knowing what he must do. The boy needed to die for these worthless feelings to disappear for good!

The scene soon become overly dramatic, with Ichigo telling his mother how sorry he was and how much he loved her. It was disgusting and just showed how weak the boy was that he was willing to allow that useless emotion to run his life. A strange feeling spread through Aizen's chest, and for reasons he could not have explained, he was tempted to rip the illusion away from Ichigo and gather him in his arms. He wanted to hold the boy as she was holding him and allow him to cry into _his_ chest. As much as it disgusted him, he wanted the boy to hold him like he was holding his mother and openly confess his darkest secrets and greatest regrets.

_This must end,_ Aizen thought to himself as he attempted to shove those emotions down into his core. He could not allow himself to become weak. He did not strive for love and acceptance. Fear, anger, and hate was the only way to survive in this cruel world, and he would be doing the boy a service by ending his pitiful life.

He held Kyōka Suigetsu loosely in his hand and found the blade becoming heavier by the second. He glanced down at his zanpakutou, but it was completely normal. He shook his head to clear his thoughts and quiet the part of him that was crying for him to stop as he unsteadily raised the protesting blade. He glared down at the boy hugging his mother, and against his will his hand froze just as he was about to make the illusion of Masaki kill her son. He did not know what was wrong with his body and his blade as they both seemed to work against him and forced him to stop and stare at the scene.

The boy smiled. It was the first time he could remember seeing the boy smile. It was then that the emotions he'd been pushing back and repressing sprang forth and overwhelmed the cold logic that had always dominated his personality. It washed through his chest and spread throughout his body.

Guilt over everything he had put Ichigo through. For taking the boy's virginity and his first kiss. For making him watch as his friend was murdered, even if it was an illusion.

Anger, all directed towards himself. He had been denying his feelings, and like Gin had said, had been hurting Ichigo because he didn't understand it.

Jealousy for how easily his mother could hold him. Ichigo would freak out if he revealed himself now. He could only stand there and watch as she held him so casually and he accepted her completely. He suddenly craved that acceptance, along with the beautiful smile he longed to have directed at himself.

Sadness, knowing the boy was suffering and it was his fault. He had caused so much sorrow and come very close to breaking Ichigo, if he hadn't already. The boy didn't trust him, and he honestly couldn't blame him if he never did. Not after all the unspeakable acts he'd committed on him. Ichigo deserved better.

Finally, as Gin had said before, he cared for the boy beyond any other he'd ever known. He felt protective of him and wanted to keep away any danger and hurt those that dared to cross him (even though most of it had been caused by himself). Dare he say, he liked the boy more than he should. The attraction he felt towards him was more than admiration for his strength and the loyalty he showed towards his friends; no, it ran far deeper than that and he knew it. He could now feel it burning in his chest where he'd once thought there was just lust making him crave Ichigo. The desire to have the teen beneath him gasping in sweet ecstasy was still there, but there was more.

There was...

Love?

He placed a hand to his head, feeling his mind ache from all the emotions he was being assaulted with. He finally turned back and saw Masaki rocking Ichigo to sleep. There was a smile on his face, and for once looked to be at peace. Looked the way he should have looked all along. He watched as her fingers lovingly stroked through the bright orange hair, and resisted the urge to replace her hand with his own. The temptation was great, but for once he denied himself and took a step back.

He would allow Ichigo to stay with his mother while he slept and have a night of peace. He had earned it, and was most deserving of it. With one final glance at the mother and son he turned and quietly left, abandoning his mission and for the first time in a hundred years, not caring that his plans had been disrupted.

* * *

Hours later, Ichigo slowly opened his eyes, his back feeling stiff and achy from the weird position he'd fallen asleep in. He looked down at the floor and realized he must have fallen asleep there, yet he felt more relaxed and at peace than he had in a long time.

A small yawn escaped him as he rubbed his head, and a soft smile played across his lips. He'd had a wonderful dream. His mother had comforted him and held him like she had so many years ago. Some teenagers were repulsed just by the thought of being anywhere near their parents, and he was the same when it came to his dad, but he could never turn his mother away. She had always been his light and protected him, even now.

He sighed as he stretched his sore back and scratched his head, oblivious to the smile that forced itself onto his lips. He could still feel his mother's gentle touch as she rubbed circles around his back and her warm fingers ran through his short, spiky hair. If only he could have that dream every night rather than the constant nightmares he'd been having before.

"Hm..." He turned to look at the door when he saw the handle turning. It looked as if the person on the other side was having difficulty opening it. He stiffened and scooted closer to the wall though he knew it'd offer little protection. He was finally feeling calm and well rested for the first time since he'd been captured, and he didn't want it ruined by Aizen showing his smug face.

Finally, the handle turned and the door creaked open. Ichigo narrowed his eyes, knowing right then that it wasn't Aizen who was entering the room. That man always entered gracefully and never delayed his entrance for such a long period of time. His next thought was that it might be an arrancar maid coming in to clean the room, but it had been cleaned before he slept and there was no reason to do it again. It could be Ulquiorra coming to bring him his food and stare down at him with disgust. He hadn't seen Grimmjow or any other arrancar bring his meals in a while, and it seemed that the job had been given to the fourth Espada. However, like Aizen, the green-eyed arrancar would never wait this long before entering.

The person finally stepped into the room, and Ichigo felt himself relax. He didn't know why, but he didn't feel intimidated by the person looking down at him with curiosity. He watched as the door slowly shut by itself behind the person walked closer to Ichigo.

"Uh, who are you?" he broke the silence, and the relaxing feeling he'd had before began to disappear. In its place, he felt a rising panic and the desire to get as far away from this person as he possibly could.

The figure cocked its head to the side before one of the most sadistic smiles Ichigo had ever seen spread across its face. It watched in joy as Ichigo began to scoot closer to the wall in a futile attempt to get away.

That was when the person pounced.

* * *

I know Ichi and Aizen are both OOC right now, but they will be returning to their character (Ichigo is kinda driving me nuts so he'll be the first to go back to character!).

Thanks so much for reading, hope you enjoyed, and please review!


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